Heroes Can Never Be Killed
by SylviaW1991
Summary: Eggman killed Sonic! Or did he? He thinks so, anyway. A recently matured Amy hatches a plan to trick Eggman for the final time! Little do the others know what her REAL plans are... SonAmy KnuxRouge
1. New Ruler

**_Disclaimer:_** Sonic, Eggman, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and Tails belong to SonicTeam and all other people who created them.

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_**Chapter 1: New Ruler**_

"MUAHAHAHA! FAREWELL FOREVER, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" Eggman hit a button on his newest creation and a beam shot out and struck Sonic. The weakened hedgehog stumbled and hit the ground.

Amy let out a scream from her cage. "NO! SONIC!" She buried her face in her hands and started crying.

Eggman got out of his machine and walked up to Sonic. He kicked the blue creature and let out a maniacal laugh when he rolled easily. Then he walked over to Amy and tapped the glass of her cage. "Don't worry, Amy. At least now you won't have to chase him down." He laughed and hit a button on the console next to the glass cage and it lifted. "You're free to go. Take his body with you. I don't want that filth near me." Amy picked him up and started to run as well as she could. She heard Eggman's voice behind her. "Don't forget to tell the world, Amy! I wouldn't want anyone to become confused as to who they're new ruler is!"

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It's short, so what? I'll try to make the other chapters longer…

R&R PLEASE!


	2. Quick Plan

She ran faster and faster until she slammed into Knuckles, making him drop the master Emerald. "Amy, what the-" His eyes widened when he saw Sonic's body. "What happened?" He tried to take him, but Amy tightened her grip. Knuckles stared into her eyes and saw that she was in shock. "Amy, it's me, Knuckles. Let me take Sonic. I'll be careful, Amy. I promise I'll be careful with him." Amy's grip loosened and Knuckles slid the limp body into his arms. "Can you tell me what happened, Amy?" Knuckles glanced at the Master Emerald. How was he supposed to carry Amy, Sonic, and that? It wasn't that they'd be to heavy, but it would be hard to balance them all.

Tails suddenly burst through the wall inside his Tornado 2. "Knuckles! What happened to Sonic?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out Tails. Amy's in shock, and won't tell me anything."

"Put him and the Master Emerald in here, and take Amy. I'll meet you on Angel Island." Tails saw the indecision in Knuckles' eyes. "Fine, put Amy and Sonic in here. You meet me at Amy's house. That's where I'll take them. You know where that is, right?"

"I know, but I think Sonic needs to go to a hospital." Knuckles set Sonic in the backseat as easily as he could. It wasn't a normal thing to see Sonic down-for-the-count, and Knuckles didn't want him anymore hurt than he was.

Tails was shaking his head. "No, Sonic doesn't like hospitals. I'm, not sure why, though. I figure if we take them both to Amy's house, Amy'll get over her shock quicker and be able to tell us what happened. She's also got a lot of medical things, so Sonic will get some treatment."

Knuckles nodded and jumped down. "Come on, Amy. Tails is gonna take you home. You'll be with Sonic the whole way, all right? Don't worry." He put his hands on her hips and lifted her into the plane. The pink hedgehog grabbed Sonic's body and held on to him, staring straight ahead and not saying anything.

"I've never seen her like this, Knuckles. Do you think she'll be all right?"

"She'll be fine Tails," Knuckles said, jumping down. "Sonic's the one I'm most worried about. He's in a lot of trouble, right now."

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Please R&R! Check out my other story, _The Truth About Rad Red_


	3. Amy's House

Tails nodded and took off as quickly as the Tornado 2 could move. Once he was outside he transformed it and flew the rest of the way. He landed in front of Amy's house and looked back at her. She had yet to say a word and was still staring straight ahead. Sonic was still pressed against her chest, unconscious. "Come on, Amy. We're at your house, okay? Sonic'll be safe here, right? At your house?" He lifted the hood and Amy pulled Sonic out and into the house. Tails quickly followed her, and watched as she put him in her bed. Her movements were mechanical now, and quiet tears were running down her face. At least the shock in them had died down. Knuckles had been right. "Amy, are you okay? Do you want to tell me about it?"

Amy shook her head violently. "Stop talking," she whispered. It was dark and cold where she was. It terrified her, but she new Sonic would save her. She stopped moving and looked at Sonic. No, he couldn't save her. She was in her own world. She needed to pull herself out of it to save _him_. She was afraid she'd fail, and the thought of it nearly propelled her into the darkness again. Amy walked into her bathroom and grabbed all the medical supplies Tails had given her in case of an emergency. She'd decided to get some training in the area as well, just in case. She was very glad for taking those courses. She walked back in the bedroom and saw Tails put his hand on Sonic's forehead. She thought about dragging Tails away, but felt ashamed the minute she did.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Hey, Amy. He's not dead, I swear. He's got a fever, but he's breathing and his heart's beating." The fox's voice was gentle; he didn't want to upset Amy again. Amy nodded and walked over. Tails quickly moved away from the bed. "Knuckles is gonna come by. Is that all right?"

Amy stared at him through blank eyes. "Knuckles?" She faced Sonic again. "Keep him downstairs. Both of you stay down until I get you, okay?"

Her voice was so soft that Tails had to strain his ears. "Okay, Amy. We will, don't worry." He quietly closed the door and walked down the stairs. Knuckles was just walking in the front door when Tails hit the landing. "Hi, Knuckles. They're-Hey! What's she doing here?"

He gestured at Rouge, who had shoved in behind Knuckles. "I don't have a choice! The president heard from Eggman that Sonic was dead, and put me on an assignment to find out what the real story is. Did Eggman manage to kill him or what?"

"No, or not yet, anyway. Listen, Amy still won't give me the story, so I don't know what happened, but I know Sonic's not dead. He's upstairs with Amy. She's treating him."

Knuckles fisted his hands. "Why is Amy alone with him? How can you trust her to-"

"Because I've talked to her. She said to stay down here, before you go tearing up the stairs. She's calm, and I really thinks that she needs to do this alone. Rouge, what do you know about what happened to Sonic?"

"All I know is Eggman called the president, then the president put him on speaker. I think the only reason he put me on the case was because I was in the room at the time. Eggman was saying how he'd created the ultimate weapon and that he'd killed Sonic. Amy witnessed the whole thing, so he said we should ask her."

"Okay. Knuckles, how did Rouge know to follow you here?"

"She was on my island when I got there. She tried to take the Master Emerald. I got pissed, told her I didn't have time for her, Sonic was hurt, and I left. She followed, and I didn't notice until I was almost here."

"Okay. What're we gonna do if Sonic dies?"

"He won't. I won't let him." The three of them looked up to see Amy. "His heart rate and his breathing are steadier. He'll wake up in a day or two, three at the most. Go home. He's staying here." She turned and walked back up the stairs.

Rouge smiled a small half-smile. "Either that's a result of shock, or Amy's just matured." She turned and started to walk out, but stopped at the door. "You've got time now, Knuckles. I want that Emerald."

"Dang it! Bye, Tails!" Knuckles followed her out at a fast run.

Tails rose slowly, and looked back, towards the stairs. "Wake-up soon, Sonic." He opened the door and got into his Tornado 2. "Please wake-up."

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You gotta love this story! (so far...) 


	4. Realizations

In her room, Amy paced as she sorted out the day's events in her head. She'd woken up, got dressed, went shopping-Oh! She'd been captured before buying that adorable red hat she'd seen! She'd have to remember that! After getting captured, she'd seen Sonic and had yelled for him like she always did. Thinking about it now, she realized that she'd been set up! It was her fault he was hurt! If she hadn't-NO! She stopped herself from traveling back into the darkness. There was no way she'd ever let that happen again. She had to think this through logically, step-by-step, and not worry about the what-ifs. She had the realization that she'd never thought that before. She'd never felt this serious.

She flipped her floor-length mirror around and stared at herself. She looked the same, and that bothered her. She didn't feel the same. In fact she felt…older, but in a good way, like she could take on the world. She needed a new wardrobe, immediately. She felt to young and innocent in her red, hooped, halter dress. She looked to young and innocent. She shook her head, deciding she'd worry about it later. She opened her closet and pulled out an easel, a blank canvas, several different-sized paintbrushes, and a paint-splattered smock. It had been months since she'd felt the urge to paint, and since she was virtually alone, she gave in to the desire.

She set them up on her small balcony and stared hard at the white canvas, waiting for it to reveal what it wanted to become. A few minutes later she dipped a small brush into pink paint and slashed a small line across the middle. She smiled when the canvas showed her what it wanted, and began to mix paint quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

Hours later Amy leaned back and studied the portrait. She'd done herself before, but never like this, never with this much truth. She saw anguish in her own eyes, pain and sweetness in the single tear rolling down her face, and attitude in the angle of her head. Only an experienced eye would see that Amy had painted the back of a small blue hedgehog in the far corner, being followed by a small cloud of dust. He wasleaving her. Time and again, he'd ran away from her love.

She stared at Sonic, lying in her bed, not asleep, but unconscious. Being unconscious meant that he hadn't been given the choice to be there or not. She was almost sure he wouldn't be there, given the choice. She leaned close and whispered to him. "I know you. Better than you think, Sonic. You're stubborn, can be cruel, hurtful. You've got more than your fair share of ego, and sometimes it seems like you only care about yourself." Amy laid her hand on Sonic's limp one and continued. "But you're also trustworthy, and dependable. When you say you'll be somewhere, or that you'll do something, you'll be there, unless you just can't. You care about your friends, and I know you don't mean to hurt them, but you do. I think you run because you're afraid you'll hurt those important people, or Eggman will hurt them, if you stay. If you reveal how important they are, how much you truly care. I love you because of all your flaws and perfections, not because you save me from Eggman. After what happened today, you won't ever have to worry about that. I swear that to you, Sonic. I'll try my absolute hardest not to get seized ever again." Amy laid his hand gently onto his chest and kissed his cheek. "Wake-up soon, Sonic." She grabbed pillows and a blanket and hurriedly left the room.


	5. Next Morning

The next morning, Rouge woke-up to the sound of her front door getting banged on, rather loudly. She stared at her bedside clock and her eyes narrowed on it. Who in their right mind would bother her at 6:30 in the morning? She tossed the covers back and threw on a robe. She opened the door, took one look at who was there, and almost slammed it shut again, but he stopped it with his foot. "What the hell did you do, Rouge?"

Rouge yawned and stared at the angry red Echidna in front of her. "When? You'll have to be more specific, Knuckles. I just woke up." He threw a newspaper in front of and she glanced at it. "Why should I care about a-WHAT!" She snatched the paper and stared at the headline. "'Sonic the Hedgehog, a.k.a the Blue Blur, is dead?' He's not dead, though. Right?" Her eyes locked on Knuckles' violet ones. "You idiot! Why would I tell anyone this lie? I've got no reason to tell anyone anything about Sonic. Especially not some reporter. The only one who'd know for sure if Sonic's dead would be…Amy. Crap! Wait here! I'll be back in a minute." In 9 more than the minute she'd claimed, Rouge snatched Knuckles' hand and started flying.

Meanwhile…

Tails yawned and glanced at his clock. "6:30 A.M. Great," he murmured. He sat up and yawned again. He thought back to yesterday's events and sat straight up. "Oh, crap! I wonder what happened to Sonic and Amy! I hope they're all right!" Tails quickly tugged on his shoes and gloves and ran out the door. He tripped over the newspaper on his stoop and grabbed it. He was about to throw it back inside when he read the headline. All the blood drained from his face and he stood motionless for a few moments, staring at it. Finally he started running towards Amy's house.

Meanwhile…

Amy flipped another pancake, and debated to herself whether she should make another one. "No, Rouge won't eat anything, and I'm not very hungry," she thought. "Oh, well. I'll just make an extra. Tails or Knuckles might be hungry." She heard the door slam open, and glanced over at Tails.

"What…happened?" He tossed the paper on the table and stared hard at Amy, panting.

Amy glanced at it and smiled. "Sit down and eat." Amy piled four pancakes onto Tails' plate and set it down in front of him. "I'll tell you what happened. Don't worry, Sonic's not dead."

"That's all I needed to hear," Rouge said from the doorway. "I'm out of here. I have to find out who leaked this lie to the press. It was probably Eggman." Rouge turned to leave, but Amy's sentence stopped her.

"I leaked the story, not Eggman."

Rouge slowly turned back to her. Amy set another plate down and told Knuckles to eat while Rouge gawked. "WHY DID YOU LEAK THIS? Now the entire world is going to go absolutely insane because of this article!"

Amy shook her head calmly. "No, not the entire world. It's just apart of my plan, anyway. It's Eggman I'm trying to trick, for the absolutely final time. I'm tired of dealing with him, so I leaked the news of Sonic's supposed death, anonymously. It's what Eggman wanted me to do because he thinks Sonic's dead."

"I think you slipped a gear, Amy. Why would you do what Eggman wanted you to?" Rouge slid into a chair and Amy immediately set a plate in front of her. "You might as well eat while it's there, Rouge." She sat down herself and smoothed her skirt. "Listen while you eat. I'm ready to tell you what happened yesterday." She told them what had happened to Sonic the day before, exactly as she remembered it. "So, that's it. The next thing I remember clearly is getting my things out of my medicine cabinet. You can all go up and see him, if you want to."

When they came back down, Amy was putting the last plate in her cabinet. "Rouge, I need you to take me to the president. Tails, would you stay here and watch Sonic for me? Thank you. Knuckles? Don't you have an emerald that you should be guarding?"

"Yeah." Knuckles gave Amy an odd look and started to leave.

"Rouge'll be by later to give you some information, Knuckles. He turned o give her a pained look and to glance at Rouge. Then he shrugged and left.

Tails nodded at Amy. "Don't worry about him; I'll make sure he stays put."

"Good. Come on, Rouge. See you soon, Tails." Rouge nodded and followed silently.


	6. The White House

When they arrived at the White House, Rouge and Amy pushed their way through the Secret Servant agents, and CIA, and FBI members to get to the president. It was easy because Rouge and Amy had Level 1 clearance. Rouge opened the door of the Oval office to the president wringing his hands staring at a newspaper. He looked at Rouge and Amy when they walked in the room. "Shut the door." He stood up when she did, and walked around the desk. "Thank you. Yesterday, you reported that there was a very good chance of Sonic living, and now this?" He held up the paper and shook it. "How am I supposed to explain this? I'm already scheduled to give a speech! How do I tell the country that Eggman finally won?"

Rouge opened her mouth and was about to tell him the truth, when Amy stepped forward. "He seemed fine last night, but…" Her voice broke and she buried her face in her hands. "There was no warning!"

She started to sob, and Rouge was taken aback. She'd thought they'd tell at least the president the truth. Just what was Amy planning? Now she had no other choice but to follow Amy's lead. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. She told me she wanted to tell you. I…I didn't think she'd fall apart like this."

The president shook his head. "No, it's all right." He sat back in his chair, and sighed. "I'm just as upset, and am shocked at the prospect. To think that the Blue Blur is dead? It seems like an impossibility. Amy, did Eggman really do this?"

Amy bit her bottom lip and nodded. Her breath caught and she collapsed into a chair. "Yes! It was horrible!"

The phone suddenly rang and the president answered after saying, "Pardon me for a moment."

Rouge bent low against Amy's ear and whispered to her. "What are you doing?"

"Tell him that you're requesting time to stay with me in my 'time of need.' Sonic wanted a private burial, and you're going to help me with it."

"What? I can't-"

"Is there a problem, ladies?"

Rouge stared at the president. "What am I going to say?" she thought. Amy gave her a stern look, and she decided. "Amy's requested my assistance in the _private _burial of Sonic. I'd also like a few days off for personal reasons, besides that."

"A private burial? Where?"

Amy wiped her eyes. "At his home. No one's supposed to know this, but Sonic does have a house. He just rarely stays there. I promised I'd never say anything about it, and if you were to go, all of your guards would know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Amy burst into fresh tears and ran out of the room, and didn't stop until she was on the sidewalk.

Rouge landed next to her a few minutes later. "Okay, he gave me a few days. He also wanted me to let you kow that Sonic will be missed."

"Good." Amy stood and smiled. "Come on, I need a new wardrobe."

"What?"

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Poor Rouge... Oh well! R&R PLEASE! Your comments are appreciated!


	7. Farewell Childhood

Amy and Rouge went through every single clothes store in the nearest mall before Amy was satisfied. Rouge dumped a pile of bags on Amy's couch. "You have completely lost your mind. You know that, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm not the only one who bought something," Amy said, dropping her own load.

"Yeah, but I only bought one or two things from every store we went into. Everything else is yours." Rouge was in a better mood after shopping. Amy had also explained everything to her, and Rouge found that she like Amy more than she ever had, now that she seemed more mature.

"I told you I needed a new wardrobe, and I meant it." Amy pulled out a red jacket and slipped it over her shoulders. She caught Rouge smirking at her and laughed. "Just because I needed a wardrobe doesn't mean I had to change my color. I love wearing red. But the floppy dress had to go."

"You guys went shopping?"

Amy looked up at Tails. He was giving her a confused look, but he also seemed mad. "It was important Tails. The president gave Rouge a few days off. Three's no room here, so do you think you can take her in?"

"There's no room in my workshop. Why can't she stay at her own house?"

"Because it's all apart of my plan, Tails. Will you light a fire in my fireplace for me? I need to burn a few things."

"What? Ok, I guess I will."

Amy pushed past Tails, carrying as many bags as she could. She looked at Sonic, still unconscious. It hurt to watch him like this, so she quickly pulled all her old clothes of hangars and replaced them. Then she bagged most of them up, and set the others aside for burning. She thought of it as a symbol. She was trading girlhood for womanhood, and getting rid of these clothes was a first step.

Since Tails couldn't take Rouge, she'd send her to Knuckles' house. He'd be ticked, but she didn't really care. She'd simply call and explain some things to him. Rouge would handle the rest. Besides, that's what she was supposed to do anyway: Fly up and tell Knuckles what was going on. Now, instead of leaving, she'd stay for a few days. Amy laughed. Maybe the two of them would stop ignoring an obvious attraction for each other. That would be a good thing for both of them.

As she was leaving she heard Sonic groan. His eyes flicked open, then shut tightly again. A few moments later she heard his haggard breath even out. "Sonic's not unconscious anymore. He's just asleep," she said when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Tails, why don't you go on home? It's getting late, and you've been here all day. I'll call you tomorrow."

A few moments later Tails left and Amy turned to Rouge. "I've decided that since you have to go up to Angel Island anyway, you should stay there. Lord knows, Knuckles has room for you. He won't be too pleased, but at least I won't have to run up my phone bill calling three separate numbers. I'll call him and explain the situation. You tell him the rest, all right?"

Rouge stared at her, dumbfounded. Secretly that's what she'd wanted, but she hadn't thought it would actually happen. She shrugged and made her face bland. "Fine. If nothing else, at least I'll be closer to that Master Emerald." She stood up and left.

Amy immediately ran upstairs and gathered up the clothes she wanted to burn. She tossed them into her fireplace one at a time and thought, "Farewell childhood. Maybe now I'll be able to really be me, a me that I like. "

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YAY AMY! I wonder what her masterplan is... 


	8. The Second Night

Rouge stomped into Knuckles' house without knocking. She tossed the bag she'd packed at home onto the couch and glared at Knuckles. "I'm as happy with this as you are, but we're just going to have to deal with it. Has she called you yet?"

"No one's called me. I just got in here. Why are you here?" He stood up and the phone rang. He snapped it against his ear. "Why the hell is she here, Amy?"

"Because I need her to stay anywhere except her own house. Tails and I are full, and you're not. It'll only be for a few days. Two weeks at the most, all right? Both of you are going to have to try to get along."

"Amy, I don't-" He cursed at the quiet click on Amy's end. "She freakin' hung up on me!" He glared at Rouge who was tapping her foot impatiently. "She said two weeks at the most."

"That's what she told me." She flopped down on the couch and stared up at him. "She wants me to tell you everything she told me earlier. It's pretty messed up, so listen closely. Before I do, I want to get a few things straight. I don't like this situation, and you don't either." She blew out a quick breath. "We've finally found some common ground, but it's over something stupid like this." She shrugged as he sat down across from her. "Here's what I know…"

Meanwhile…

Tails slid inside his workshop and looked at all his works-in-progress. He'd dropped everything that day to watch Sonic for Amy. He knew he would tomorrow and however many days it took before he woke-up. He walked over to a picture of him and Sonic that Amy had taken. Some days it seemed more like a painting than a photo. He slipped it out of its frame and smiled at it. Ever since they'd met, Tails had stuck close to the speedy hedgehog, and Tails was really growing up. He had no doubt that Sonic was the reason for his confidence. Before Sonic, everyone he met had made fun of his twin tails. Sonic had shown him that he could fly and increase his speed with them.

They'd been best friends for years, and Tails had never seen Sonic that still. He was always on the move. He rubbed the picture with the pad of his thumb and lightly smeared it. "What? It is a painting?" He slipped it back in its frame and stared. Since when could Amy paint? He started to leave, to go back and ask her, but he yawned and decided it could wait. If Eggman tied anything before Sonic woke-up they all had to be ready. He laid on his bed, and the last he though was, "Maybe Amy will tell me her big plan tomorrow…"

Meanwhile…

"Take the flippin' bed, Rouge. It won't kill you!" Knuckles shouted. The two had been arguing about who got the couch or the bed. "For Christ's sake, this is stupidest argument I've ever had in my life!"

Rouge walked closer to her and poked him in the chest. "It's your 'flippin' bed,' not mine! I'll take the damn couch!"

"Newsflash! The couch is mine, too! It doesn't matter!" Rouge walked past him. "Where the heck are you going?" he demanded.

"I'm sleepin' outside! Problem? The ground's not yours!"

"No, way! I'm not giving you the chance to take the Master Emerald!"

She flew back and looked him straight in the eye. "I do not want that emerald." She spoke quietly, in stark contrast to her earlier shouting. "I want you!" She turned around and froze in mid-step.

His hands came around her waist and he turned her. "What?"

Her eyes were wide, and her breath was coming out in short puffs. "You heard me, Echidna."

"I thought I did, but I'm not sure." He drew her closer to him and slowly lowered his lips to hers. It was like an explosion. Her arms wrapped around him and he pressed her tightly against him as suppressed wants and needs on both sides finally broke free. He lifted her off the ground and walked back into the bedroom. "How about this? We share the bed."

She nodded and pulled him back to her for another kiss.

Meanwhile…

Amy stared out her window. She could feel her eyelids drooping with exhaustion, but her mind wouldn't shut off. What if she hadn't called out to him? What if she hadn't noticed him? Would Eggman have been able to hurt him? No, she was almost sure of it, and that almost was what was keeping her awake. If she hadn't said anything to Sonic Eggman would've had time to make the beam stronger and he'd be dead. Those headlines wouldn't have been lies, but truth.

She turned to Sonic. He had a bruise on his hip where Eggman had kicked him, and he still had a high fever, but he was alive. That's all that mattered to her. She walked over and laid her hand on his cheek. "Oh, Sonic," she whispered, "so many people depend on you. I love you, and I know that chasing you the past few years hasn't helped me. I've demanded that you marry me, but I've learned that's it's your choice. I wish I hadn't learned that this way, but you can't change the past, right?" She kissed his cheek like she had the night before and went downstairs to sleep.


	9. Sonic Awakens

Sonic groaned and slipped his eyes open. He waited for the pain to sear his body again and sighed in relief when it didn't. Then he tried to move. His head instantly started throbbing and dozens of small aches erupted over his body. He suddenly felt hot, sweaty, and sick. He moaned and squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to go back to sleep. A cool hand pressed gently on his forehead. He opened his bleary eyes and stared at a pink hedgehog who looked a lot like Amy. She smiled and his eyes widened. It _was _Amy! There was no denying that look she was giving him. "What happened?" His voice sounded weak to him and his temper started to boil at it. He _hated_ being weak.

"A lot," she murmured. "Stay still and you won't feel much pain. I know you want to move, but all you did was shift and that hurt. Right?"

"Yeah. Tell me what happened. Did the guys find us?"

"No. Eggman told me to take you away, so I picked you up and left. I found Knuckles, then Tails found us. He brought us here in the Tornado 2." Amy walked over to her bathroom and Sonic was surprised at her outfit. "Where's her floppy dress thing?" he wondered. She was wearing a red skirt that slid to a spotbetween her ankles and knees. It had a white stripe up the side that marked where a small slit was. Her shoes weren't boots but sneaker things, and they were all red. She also had white socks that looked like his, but had small rubies on the sides. She wore a red jacket that went just past her hips, and when she turned he saw she wore a white halter top with a red slash going diagonal across her chest and wrapped around her hip. There was a red pin between her breasts with two white spaghetti straps coming out of it that wrapped around her neck.

She sat carefully on the bed and held a cup to his lips. "Drink this or I'll be forced to make you. I don't want to, but I will."

Sonic drank and was surprised that it didn't taste as bad as he'd thought it would. "What is that stuff?"

"Medicine. If you hadn't woken up long enough to drink it, than I was going to stick a needle in you."

"Glad I woke up." He winced as another jolt of pain came through. "Maybe not. So...what's with the clothes?"

She smiled again. "I'm tired of looking and acting like child. We were set up, Sonic." He gave her a questioning look and she sighed. "Eggman had some robot capture me and bring me past a spot where he knew you'd be. He knew I'd call out for help, and you'd come to the rescue, like always." Her eyes darkened as she thought about it. "He thinks you're dead, and so does the rest of the world."

"What?" Sonic started to cough, hard coughs that made his body shake. "What gave them that idea?" he asked weakly. The pain was intensifying.

"I did. You don't understand yet, but you will. The others do." She took his hand and warmed it. "In a little while, I'll ask Tails to come and explain everything to you. Right now, you need some more sleep. The medicine I gave you will help with that." It was true. Sonic's eyes were already closing. She smoothed his fur and whispered to him. "What would life be like without having to fight Dr. Eggman? Dream the answer, Sonic, because dreams come true." She watched him fall asleep and let a tear drop down onto their joined hands.

Tails flew into Amy's house an hour later. "Amy!" He grabbed the wall to help him turn into the kitchen. "Amy, I got your message! He woke-up? He's okay now? Can I talk to him?"

"Go ahead, Tails. He's still sick, though, so be…" She blew out a breath as he ran upstairs. "careful." A few minutes later she heard a cry of "What?" and another out of coughing. She glanced at her phone and decided to call Rouge and Knuckles.

Rouge stared at the floor, as it was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. The only thing that kept her from falling onto it was Knuckles' arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She started to wiggle to get free, and learned that certain pieces of Knuckles' anatomy awoke quicker than the rest of him. She glanced back and saw him grinning at her, one eye open. "Hi."

She smiled back. "Move. I'm about to fall out of bed."

"Wouldn't want that, huh?" He lifted he and set her on his chest. She traced his upside-down crescent mark with her finger. They grinned at each other and the phone rang. "It's gotta be Amy." He picked it up, slightly annoyed at the interruption. "What? He's awake? Why should I care?" He listened for a few moments and his grin widened. He pressed Rouge closer against him. "You could say that. We will, later. Bye." He hung up ad kissed Rouge.

"What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you after this." He leaned close and murmured in her ear.

"Hmm…I suppose I could wait until after that."

Two hours later, after wrestling in bed and sharing a shower, the two arrived at Amy's house. She smiled at them. "So, no objections with staying together?"

Knuckles took the glass she offered and tucked his tongue in his cheek. "None that I can think of. What about you, Rouge?"

"Not a one. So, Sonic's awake?"

"Yes, and he thinks I'm more crazy than I used to be."

"Hey, Amy! Are Knuckles and-Oh. Okay, Knuckles, Sonic wants to talk to you."

"So? Ow!" he said when Rouge kicked him from under the table. "Maybe there are one or two problems with her," he grumbled. "I'm going all right? Jeez." Knuckles pushed away from the table and went up the stairs. "Are you asleep?"

"Shut-up, Knuckles." Sonic's eyes were closed, so he could battle the pain that had been plaguing him since he'd woken up. "This is hell, or a version of it, anyway." He opened his eyes to Knuckles ;leaning on the door jamb. "You had sex with Rouge, didn't you?"

"I might've." Then he grinned. "So what?"

"So, it's about damn time. Tell me what happened after I got hit. Tails said you told him that Amy barreled into you, carrying me."

"Right. That's what happened. She was in serious shock, and I think that helped increase her speed. She must've been going at least 200-250 mph."

"How would you be able to tell how fast she was moving?"

"Because I didn't see her until she rammed into me head-on. I know what it feels like to have something slam into your chest at 200 mph, got it? It's happened enough with Eggman, and you. When Rouge gets enough wind power behind her, her kicks can get at that speed too." He rubbed his chest as he thought about all the times he'd been hit there.

"What's her plan? Tails didn't know anything about it, but he said you and Rouge knew." He tried to stop from coughing but decided that hurt worse than letting it out. After he'd finished Knuckles told him everything he knew. Yelling "What?" caused him to cough to point where he almost passed out.

"Don't you need some medicine or something?"

"Yeah, probably. I hate medicine, and I'm not sure I trust Amy to give me any."

"If you weren't this sick I'd hurt you, excruciatingly, right now, but instead I'll enjoy seeing you in pain. She's the only reason you're alive right now, and the only reason you're not in worse shape. She freakin' saved you worthless life, and is trying to make sure this won't happen again! How can you not trust her? Just because she loves you, for who knows what reason? Have you ever even asked why she does?"

"Well, it's kinda obvious. I save her life all the time; that's why."

"You're such an idiot. Why won't you just ask her?"

"Because she's 12!" This sent him into another coughing spasm.

"That's only three years difference, Sonic, and it's a stupid excuse. She's been…different since you got hurt, less like a desperate groupie…"

"So I'm not the only one who thinks that!"

"Thought that. Like I said, she's different now, and I think she's done chasing you, but she'll never stop waiting for you. She really actually loves you, and that's not what you want to hear. Oh, well." He looked closely at Sonic's face. His eyes were clouded with pain, and his breathing was shallow. Knuckles laid his hand down on Sonic's forehead, and the heat nearly seared his hand. "You need serious medication, Sonic."

Sonic shifted his head in what should have been a nod. He was suddenly having trouble breathing, and he felt like he was going to be sick, even though he hadn't eaten anything. A few minutes later he tasted the same medicine being poured down his throat as before, and he felt Amy's soft hands on his head. She was murmuring something to him, but he couldn't hear it. He quickly slid asleep and started to dream...

* * *

This is a pretty long chapter...Yay! Hoped you liked it! R&R Please! You're comments are welcome and appreciated! Flames are**_NOT_**! 


	10. Dreams

_"Sonic! Be careful!" _

_Sonic looked above him at tails flying in his Tornado 2. He grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "No problem, Pal! I've got this covered!" Sonic bashed through walls and 'bots to get to Eggman's main control room. "Hey, Eggman! Let Amy out now, before I have to make you!"_

_Eggman merely smiled and only did one thing. "MUAHAHAHA! FAREWELL FOREVER, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" He pressed some button and Sonic fell back. There was pain careening through his entire body and he heard an ear splitting scream come from Amy. He recalled thinking, "Where's the spiteful comeback? Why isn't he saying how much better than me he is?" before his mind blocked the intense pain seconds before he passed out. _

_He opened his eyes and instantly felt more pain. He squeezed his eyes closed and fell asleep. The next time he woke, it was to see Amy, dressed in new clothes, leaning over him. Her hands were gentle and soft on his throbbing head. They helped ease the pain a little. They talked and she gave him medicine. Just before it put him asleep, Amy told him to dream about life without Eggman… _

_Life without Eggman would mean no more worries. Tails might actually be able to something worthwhile with his inventions without having Eggman destroy them. Knuckles and Rouge might finally stop pretending to hate each other. He'd be able to run wherever…that part didn't make him happy for some reason. That's what he'd always wanted, but Sonic couldn't picture it just now. All he saw was Amy smiling at him in that way that made him feel afraid. What if Eggman got to her? If he treated her like he cared about her, Eggman would hurt her worse than he already does. But no, this was life without him. Maybe, he could spend time with her…instead of running away from her…find out why she loved him…why he loved her…_

Sonic woke with a start. He sat up and shuddered. "What a weird dream," he thought. He tossed back the covers and set his feet on the floor, but when he tried to stand pain seared his body. He sat back down and shuddered again. "What was that?" he wondered, then it came back to him. The first part hadn't been a dream. He looked around Amy's darkened room and saw the balcony. There was a easel with a sheet over top of it. Sonic wished he could walk over to it and see what was under the sheet. It probably wouldn't be very good. Could Amy paint? He wasn't sure, but he doubted it. He laid back and decided to go back to sleep. He'd just shut his eyes when he heard Amy's voice.

"Thank you so much, Shadow. I owe you, really."

"Shadow?" Sonic thought. "As in 'the ultimate life-form' Shadow? Why was he here?"

"Yes, and I will collect sooner or later. I like your plan, though. Getting rid of Eggman is brilliant, but I'm surprised that it was you who thought all of this up._"_

Sonic's eyes narrowed. Who did he think he was, talking to Amy like that?

"Of course you're surprised. Everyone's just absolutely shocked that I have a brain cell in my head that isn't thinking about Sonic."

"Well, that's the root of your plan, isn't it? Sonic not getting hurt like this again? If Eggman had realized that blue boy was alive, he wouldn't be in there right now." Shadow lightly rapped his knuckles on the door to Amy's room.

"He's the root, yeah, but there's more to it than just him." Amy sighed and stared at the door. "How long before he can do anything?"

Shadow shrugged and thought, "She wants to drop the subject for now? Fine by me." Out loud he said, "He can sit up now without feeling sick and dizzy, but not much more yet." By the end of today he'll be able to walk some. I'd give him about two or three days before he's able to run, longer still before he can run as fast as he normally does. I gave him a good enough jolt with that Chaos Emerald, so he'll heal faster than normal. Where did you get it, anyway?"

"I found it a few days ago…Is there anyway I can keep in touch with you? I may need you again."

"It sounds like you will, I agree." He pulled out a card from behind him and handed it to her. "Give this phone number out to no one else. Understand, Amy? Only contact me if you absolutely need me."

Amy nodded. "Thanks, Shadow. Good luck with your memories and all that. Oh, one more thing. Why'd you come here?"

Because I had to make sure what I heard was true or not. Good luck dealing with him, Amy. You'll need it to keep him here. Chaos Control!" Shadow disappeared in a flash of light.

Amy opened the bedroom door and Sonic quickly shut his eyes. "I do need luck. Oh, Sonic, you need to stay here for your own good. I know you'll feel uncomfortable around me, but…for my plan to work, you'll have to. Maybe Tails can convince you, or Knuckles. At least I know you trust them." Her voice broke and tears started to fall from her eyes. She closed the door and Sonic heard her footsteps trail away.

He slipped his eyes open again. "Talk about some serious guilt," he thought. "So…I guess I'm stuck here until this plan blows up in her face." He closed his eyes and started to will himself to sleep. "Maybe it'll actually work…" he thought, and slept.

* * *

I hope it works!

R&R PLEASE! Thank youeverybody who has!


	11. Easel or Camera?

Sonic woke and glanced at the easel. It still had that frustrating cover on it; damn. Sonic wanted to see what Amy was doing with it, then he remembered that Shadow had said he may be able to walk a little by the end of the day. Sonic sat up again and glanced around him. He wondered if he could stand once he verified that no one was in the room, so he wouldn't make a fool of himself if he fell. He swung his legs over the bed's edge and braced himself. He stood slowly and gripped a bed post, preparing himself for the coming aches. He was shocked when he didn't feel anything. "Hmm…" Sonic decided to test his luck and tried to take a step. As soon as he lifted his foot, it started to ache. He sat back down and rubbed his face. He jolted when Amy touched his arm.

"Hi. You can't walk yet, but at least you can stand, right?"

"Yeah…So, how do you think I got better so quick? Or I mean…you know what I mean."

"Shadow popped in and I got him to give you a blast of Chaos Heal."

"What?" Sonic hadn't expectedAmy to have actually told him the truth. "Why'd you tell me that?"

"I don't like to lie, Sonic. Shadow wanted me too, but I didn't. He doesn't want anyone to know he was here. If the others ask, could you tell them something I did helped you? Then I won't have lied."

"Well, technically, if you got him to do it, it _was_ something you did."

Amy beamed at him. "That's true," she said laughing. "Shadow told me that you'll be able to walk today."

"Great. Ah…what's under there?"

"What?" She turned her head to face the balcony and her easel. "Under the cover? Um…" She chewed her bottom lip, not really wanting to tell him. "It's a painting," she finally said.

"What exactly--" The sound of a doorbell cut him off.

Amy sighed in relief and ran to the door. "That should be Tails!" she called back.

Sonic leaned onto his back, feet hanging over the edge. "Wonderful. Just when I was about to find out."

Seconds later Tails surged into the room. "Sonic! Amy said you could move some!" He twirled his tails and flew above the bed, looking down. "She told me you'll be able to walk today, too."

"Yeah." Sonic debated over whether or not he should ask Tails about the painting, but decided against it.

Tails grinned down at him. "So did Amy tell you how you got better so quickly?"

"Mmm-Hmm. It was just something she did, a type of weird medicine." Sonic figured that having Shadow treat him was very weird medication.

Tails laughed and landed on the bed next to Sonic, who'd sat up so he didn't have to look up. "I bet. Amy's got some pretty strange remedies, and she's created most of them."

"I'm pretty sure she didn't invent the one that's helped me." Sonic smiled to himself. "So…any ideas on what's going on with Rouge and Knuckles?"

"I don't think I like the way that question was phrased, Sonic. But yeah, I know they're not doing much _arguing_ up on Angel Island."

"Still not into the whole girlfriend-thing?" Sonic teased. Tails' reply was to shrug his shoulders, making Sonic laugh. "Won't be too much longer, pal. I guarantee it."

"Yeah, well, when it does, I don't want to hurt a girl like you do Amy." Tails froze in mid-shrug. "Oh, crud," he murmured. "I…That wasn't meant like it sounded. Seriously, it wasn't."

Sonic shook his head. Even Tails thought that he hurt her. "How do you think I hurt her?" he asked quietly.

Tails stuttered and wringed his hands, behind him, his tails mimicked the gesture. "You don't trust her," he finally said. "That's the big thing with her. She doesn't like being, or feeling like, she's mistrusted." Tails' voice grew stronger and louder. He wanted Sonic to understand this fully. "It hurts her when you run, too. She thinks that you don't really comprehend that she honestly loves you. It's not that you her big hero or anything, you know? It's not infatuation like you think, either. It's real, and, I hate to use this cliché, it's true love." Tails shrugged and stopped wringing his hands. Sonic was staring at the covered easel on Amy's balcony, and Tails' tails flicked with frustration. Was Sonic even listening to him?

"Do you really think that, or are you just defending her?" Sonic looked Tails square in the eye. "I want the absolute truth, Tails."

Tails turned his head and looked at the easel, then he looked at Sonic and nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't say it, unless I believed it. What are you going to do about it? Keep running? That won't work forever, you know. She's getting a lot faster."

Sonic sighed and flicked his eyes back to the cover that was really starting to irritate him. "I don't know, Tails. I'm not sure about anything right now, and that's starting to tick me off. I figure I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it."

Tails watched at the easel with Sonic, wondering what was under it, but hesitant to peek under the cover. They sat without speaking, each thinking their own separate thoughts, for a few minutes. He suddenly remembered about the picture, or the painting that he'd assumed was a photograph, of him and Sonic. He still needed to ask Amy about it. He pulled it out and Sonic glanced at it. "I thought you kept that picture at your workshop."

Tails looked up at him. "Do you think this is a photograph or a painting?"

"Well, I always thought it was a photo…" Sonic shrugged.

"Tell me something. Have you ever been able to smear a photo?"

"No…You smeared that one?" He took it out of Tails' hands and examined in. "You think Amy painted this?"

Tails nodded. "Well…yes. I think that's some symbol of proof." He gestured to her easel. He slid off the bed and took back the picture. "I figure I'll ask her. That's what I originally came by to do, but it went to the back of my mind for a while."

Sonic nodded. "Right." He stared at the easel after Tails left the room.

* * *

I know this story is good (Not that I'm gloating), so it should encourage you to read all my other ones. Just go to "Search", type in my pen name (Watch For Stars), and click on the only link that shows up! It'll take you to my profile, where you'll find the links to all my other stories. _True Modesty_ is my personal favorite. 


	12. Kiss

He heard Amy's laughter, and Tails soon flew back upstairs. "It _is_ a painting! I never knew Amy could paint…" Tails looked at the covered easel and shrugged. Amy would show him that if he asked, but if it was covered then it wasn't done. Tails didn't want to see it until it was.

Sonic looked at it, too. "Hey, Tails, weren't you designing some new plane?" The fox boy shrugged and nodded. "Okay, go finish it. I want to see it done soon."

"Okay, Sonic. See you later!" Tails flew downstairs and told Amy bye.

She walked upstairs a few hours later and studied his back. She'd seen it much more than his front, and was more used to it. He was sitting up, staring at her easel. _I don't want to tell him what I'm painting! But he seems so curious about what it is…_

Amy sighed and Sonic looked up at her. "I really hate feeling weak and useless."

"I can imagine. Would you rather stay here or go somewhere else until that feeling passes?"

Sonic blinked. He hadn't expected her to ask that so bluntly, or even ask at all. He turned away to face the easel. "Tell me your plan, Amy. I'll decide after I hear it."

Amy sighed again, and sat next to him on the bed, staring at the easel now, herself. She told him quickly, and he nodded. "It sounds like my leaving here will really mess that plan up." Sonic didn't think waiting, which was the major part of her plan, was the best thing to do, but then, he never had liked waiting for anything. "I guess I'm stuck here for awhile." He turned to face her. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw was slack. "What?"

"I-I didn't think that-I mean…" She took a deep breathe to steady herself before starting over. "I didn't expect you to choose to stay here so easily."

"Right. Show me something you've painted. Finished or not, I don't care."

"I know you want to see what's under that cover, but I can't show it to yet. I can't show it to anyone."

"Then paint something."

"Now?"

"Right now."

She chewed her bottom lip nervously. She'd never shown anyone her paintings. Ever. He watched her with impatient eyes. She looked into them and he blinked. He felt like he'd just been blasted with heat…and it went straight between his legs. He sucked in a shocked breath at his reaction, and her nerves died into worry. "Are you okay, Sonic?"

He put up and hand and crossed his legs to hide his reaction to her. "No, it's okay. Just…it was just a weird feeling, that's all." She shifted closer and Sonic swore that if she moved any closer, she'd be nervous again, about something other than her painting.

She put a hand on his forehead. "At least you don't have a fever." She looked into his eyes and noticed an emotion she'd never seen in Sonic. "You look afraid of something, Sonic. Are you really all right?"

He couldn't look her directly in the eye, he realized, without wanting to kiss her…or take it farther, so he avoided eye contact by shifting his body to face the balcony. "I'm fine, Amy."

She put her arms around him, completely unaware of his thoughts. His entire body tensed at her touch. She rubbed her cheek against his back and whispered to him. "I know something's wrong, Sonic." She placed a kiss to a spot between his shoulder blades. "You can tell me what it is, and I'll try to fix it."

_There's no way she could do anything about this…except let me kiss her. I wonder…_ "Stand in front of me real quick." She did as he asked, confused. He framed her face in his hands and studied her features. Unpainted, as always. She never wore makeup, that he saw. Her eyes were a bright jade green, that tended to show her emotions clearly. Small, beady black nose, that suited her because it was sweet. Soft lips that he desperately wanted to kiss all of a sudden. When her tongue slid out and wetted her lips, he decided to get that particular want out of his system. He leaned closer to her and captured her lips. He kissed her quickly and leaned back again.

She was gripping the bedspread on either side of him, shocked that he'd just kissed her. She shook her head to clear it and stared at him, unable to speak. He noticed that his breathing was off, and he wanted to do that again. He wanted to explore her mouth better, taste more than that quick sample of cherries. He decided that she deserved some warning this time, and said, "I want to do that again." Nerves showed in her eyes, and Sonic felt his own give way to amusement. "I've never thought about doing this." He slid his fingers around to cup the back of her neck, edging her closer, watching her eyes. "Now, I'm thinking about it."

He lightly brushed his lips over hers. It was a teasing, whispering, devastating slide of lips.

The hand at the back of her neck gently squeezed and released, squeezed and released, and sent her pulse dancing. Warmth washed into her, filling he throat, her breasts, her belly, loosening her knees and arms, so that she wrapped them around him and felt herself begin to sway into him. Sway into the seductive rhythm of her own pulse that he set with nothing more but his mouth.

She trembled, and Sonic felt the desire to have her tremble against him again. He gently touched his tongue against her lips and she opened to him. She tasted of cherries, warm, moist, and unbearably tender, easily breakable. He leaned back, afraid that if he didn't, he'd do something they'd both regret, take her before either of them were ready. "Paint something for me, Amy."

Her mind was fogged, but she nodded. Her eyes slipped open and she walked to her closet, and unpacked her minds and supplies. She knew exactly what she'd paint for him.

* * *

What's she gonna paint? R&R! I want your ideas! 


	13. Tell Her

She'd painted for hours. Sonic was amazed at himself for staying still so long, leaning over her shoulder. Just enough to smell her and watch, but far enough for him to claim keeping a safe distance. His eyes widened as he watched each brushstroke. He watched a painting come alive on a small square of paper, one that was the same size as the one she'd given Tails. Blues, reds, whites, oranges, and all manner of other colors were mixed and then gently placed in their proper spot. She worked on a very small, paint-splattered, easel that seemed tailor fitted for that size paper.

For once, time didn't seem to move so incredibly slow to Sonic. Sitting here, next to Amy, watching her bring a picture out of her head, into her hand, and on to paper, made time seem to go by quick. As if he were running, instead of sitting, watching the same thing slowly transformed into something new.

Now and then he'd catch himself thinking about kissing her, and more, but he'd stop himself before anything really developed in his mind. At one point Amy's bangs had bothered her more than normal, so Sonic had brushed them back with his hand. She'd given him a wide smile, and Sonic had nearly drowned in her eyes, smiling back.

Sonic awoke for the sixth time that night, and he flipped on the little bedside light. He examined the painting again. She'd painted him, standing on a wing of the Tornado 2. Tails was grinning at him, and he was giving the boy a thumbs' up. He was careful not to smear it. He'd seen the way Amy had scrutinized it, checking for any imperfections in it, and he didn't want to make any. Amy had taken Tails smeared paining and had worked another hour just fixing it.

Soon after Tails had burst into the room, excited that Sonic had been able to walk, even if it was only a few steps. Sonic closed his eyes and thought about his conversation with Knuckles…

Sonic stood on wobbly legs. He could walk a little, and he wanted to know what was under that cover. He was sure if he could just push himself to walk that far, he'd see it. He was just reaching for it when someone said his name. He wrapped his hand around the balcony railing, instead, and turned to the intruder. "What do you want, Knuckles?"

The Echidna shrugged. _Sonic looks horrible. Maybe not as bad as he was yesterday, but still…_ "To see if you're really walking or not. Amy said you chose to stay here."

"Yeah." Sonic squeezed his eyes closed. His legs were about to collapse under him, but he couldn't show any weakness in front of Knuckles.

Knuckles watched from the doorway as sweat began beading down Sonic's face, and his breathing grew heavy. He heaved an aggravated sigh and walked over to him. Knuckles put his arm around Sonic's waist and helped him back to the bed.

Sonic flopped down on his back, feet dangling over the edge. "Damn…it," he said, panting, eyes still closed.

"Tails said you could only walk two or three steps, but I guess that didn't suit you, huh?" _He's seems so…small right now. He may always be shorter than me, but…I guess it's that "Hey! Look at me! I'm invincible!" personality he's got that makes him seem bigger than he really is. _"There's no point in straining yourself, Sonic. None at all." After a moment, Sonic opened his eyes and stared at Knuckles, startling him. _He looks so…sad. Defeated, almost. Oh, man, that hit must have hurt more than his body._ "Sonic…are you okay? Seriously, are you? I don't want any of your usual bull."

Sonic pushed himself into a sitting position and Knuckles sat next to him, waiting for an answer. "Amy can paint. Did you know that?"

_Okay, that's not what I expected… _"No. Can she really?"

Sonic picked up the little painting. It was almost dried, but Sonic didn't want to take any chances. "I watched her paint this. It took hours, and I sat through it. I didn't even want to move, Knuckles. I always want to move. I can't think of a single day where I haven't moved, let alone not wanting to." Sonic sighed and set it back onto the beside table.

Knuckles stared at it, and let out a low whistle. "Wow. She really can paint." When Sonic faced him, he shrugged. "As long as I've known, all you've done is move. I don't even know if you have a house, but I don't know a lot about you anyway."

"I don't have a house. I don't even have an apartment, or anything like that. I just run and people let me stay with them because I'm a big hero." He clenched his fist. "But I'm not a big hero! I'm just a hedgehog who runs fast, who stops Eggman because he's a jerk that doesn't have any right to even live in this world, let alone rule it. Heck, I wouldn't be anywhere without you guys, but I'm the big hero?"

Knuckles stared at him, shocked at his words. Shocked that Sonic felt that way. He'd always seen Sonic as the big hero, the leader, even though he would never, _ever_, admit to that. "That's true, you wouldn't be. But you were the first hero this world's ever seen. The rest of us all came after you, because of you. If you hadn't stopped Eggman in the first place, there'd be no point in guarding the Master Emerald for me because he would've taken it. He would've beaten me without you or Tails because I'm the stupid idiot that falls for everything."

"You said it, not me." Knuckles growled under his breath, but Sonic spoke in a rush before he could. "I think I'm in love with Amy."

Knuckles froze. "Could you repeat that, slower? I think you just said--"

"I did, okay? You say a word to her, to anyone, and I'll kill you and throw that Master Emerald into the deepest part of a volcano. Got it? Besides, it's not like I said I _am_ in love with her. I just think that I _might_ be. There's a difference, right? Right?"

"That's not my call, it's yours. If you are, though, I wouldn't waste any time in telling her. Can you imagine hearing "no" and having her run away every time you got within an inch of you? Wouldn't that hurt? Wouldn't not knowing hurt?"

_There's that damn "hurt" word again. God, why does everybody say I hurt her? _He imagined himself in Amy's place, imagined experiencing what Knuckles had said. _Because I do,_ he realized. _I do hurt her._ He rubbed his hands over his face. "It would hurt, probably worse than I hurt, physically, when I woke-up the first time." He rubbed a hand over his heart and looked at Knuckles. "I don't know if I love her, though. I just don't, Knuckles, and it's starting to drive me crazy. I kissed her, and that's what really set off this thought pattern."

"You kissed Amy?"

Sonic jolted, just realizing what he'd said out loud. "Yeah, and you can shut-up about that, too."

Knuckles rose when Rouge called for him. "Just make damn sure you tell her that you're not sure if you love her or not. Tell her that at least, just so she knows you care about her. She doesn't think you do," he said, and left.

Sonic put the painting down. He needed to catch some serious Z's if he were going to try to walk around the room tomorrow. Maybe Amy would paint some more…

* * *

You gotta love Knuckles! You just gotta! He's so...wise, yet gullible at the same time! How can you not love a guy like that?

Rouge: I certainly don't.

Ya...right.

Knuckles: 0.o What?

Me and Rouge: Don't worry about it!


	14. Most Are Stupid

Noon The Next Day…

"Gee, that's good."

Amy smiled at him. "Well, you don't have to be so sarcastic about it!"

"Of course I do. It's a part of my heritage." Sonic leaned against the balcony, unaware that Amy was painting him, just like that, on her easel now. He grinned at her, glad that he'd made it to the balcony and had managed to stand there for the past few minutes without feeling drained. "You know, it's weird."

She stopped painting and flicked her gaze up to him when he didn't continue. "What's weird?"

"I owe you, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow my life. I never thought that would happen."

Amy laughed. "As often as you've saved mine, I don't really think that it matters a whole lot."

Sonic shrugged. "Well, to me it does." His smile changed, warmed, as he watched her paint. He'd kissed her again that morning. He opened his eyes and she'd been about to leave.

"What?"

Her voice brought him back. "What's 'what?'"

"That look. You were giving me a weird look."

"Oh, I was just thinking about kissing you again." He watched her blush and continue painting. _She's almost exactly the same as before, but there's…something different about her. Or maybe it's just me that's different. Either way, I'm falling in love with her and it scares the crap out of me._

"Sonic?"

"Yeah?" He looked down where she'd been sitting, but had to quickly flick his eyes up. She was standing in front of him now, close.

She leaned forward and kissed him. "I was thinking about it, too."

Sonic took her hand and kissed her palm. _It's both of us. We've both changed, for the better._ He tugged her and kissed her. They kissed passionately, leaning against the balcony railing.

They still were when Tails looked up and saw them. He quickly hid and ran until he could laugh safely. _I should've known that would happen. Just like with Knuckles and Rouge. Maybe it has to do with getting older, but--_Tails looked up at the sound of an eerily familiar laugh. He poked his head up and stared at a familiar person. _Eggman? What's he doing--Sonic! I've gotta warn them!_ Tails ran back, staring up he saw that Amy and Sonic were just there, Amy in front of an easel and Sonic leaning on the railing. "Sonic!" he called.

Sonic's eyes flicked down. "What?"

Amy jumped up and stared down. "He's dead, remember? You can't just shout his name!"

"Eggman's coming! Here! I just saw him!"

Sonic felt a charge fill his body. He felt it every time someone was in danger, like instinct, especially when Eggman was involved. He'd been feeling it all day. He'd known all day that Eggman was going t attack. He knew he couldn't act on it, though. He looked at Amy, knowing he was too weak, but still wanting to fight.

Amy chewed her bottom lip and hugged him. "Don't worry, Sonic. Tails and I can hold him off. I'll give you the highlights?"

"Yeah." He nodded and trudged back to the bed, Amy rushing past, hammer ready. Sonic sat, kicked his legs, and listened to the beginning battle sounds.

Eggman yelled, "Amy! How fitting that I end your life like I ended Sonic's, isn't it!"

Amy decided to be a smart aleck. "You could never kill Sonic!"

"Muahahahaha! Poor girl! You're merely in denial, but it'll pass! Whoa!" She peppered his carrier with hammers and Tails fought the robots Eggman had brought.

Eggman quickly retreated. "I didn't expect you to be this strong after Sonic's death! Next time, though, I'll be better prepared!"

Tails walked upstairs. "Well that was…stupid," he said to Sonic.

"Most fights with Eggman are, Tails. I remember once he took my running shoes and attached blocks of cement to my feet. That was stupid. All I had to do was run around an hour with them and they broke. I grabbed a really old pair of running shoes and got my better ones back in about half an hour. Now, _that_ was stupid."

Tails batted his ear. "Yeah…that does sound stupid."

"I could hear you guys up here. It sounded like you handled ground badniks and those gay flying ones, and Amy pounded Eggman, right?"

"And Bingo was his name-o."

Sonic gave Tails a weird look. "At least you didn't sing that."

* * *

I babysat today...That song is stuck in my head...IT WON'T LEAVE! B-I-N-G-O! 


	15. Giving Advice

Later…

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Rouge had leaned against the door jamb, and had been watching him for the past few minutes.

"What do you think? I can barely walk, and when I do, it only lasts for a little bit before it starts to hurt!" He was laying on top of the blankets on the bed and felt like he was talking to a shrink.

"I think that's pretty sad. I also think it would suck. I know I'm not your favorite person, Sonic, but--"

"No, you're Knuckles' favorite person."

She walked in a closed the door, then leaned against it. "Am I really, or are you just venting?"

"Ask him." Sonic sat up to look at her better. "Did you mean that question? You want an honest answer?"

She dragged her hands through her already tousled hair. _Tousled by Knuckles' hands. He's the only one I want, but will it last?_ "Yes, I want an honest answer."

Sonic shrugged. "Okay, but you didn't hear it from me." He took a breath and studied her closely. She was right, Rouge _wasn't_ Sonic's favorite person. He remembered what Knuckles had told him the other day, to imagine not knowing if the person you loved loved you back or not. "Answer my question first. Is he yours?"

"Sometimes, more lately. I've never spent real time with him before…all of this happened. There's more to him than I thought." Her eyes closed and she let out a long breath. They opened when she smiled. "Yes, I think he is. I think I might love him," she whispered.

"Then you and me are in the same boat. We don't know if we're in with someone or not."

Rouge sat on the bed next to him, bringing her leg up to rest her hands on the knee. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

"You said it. I think I'm moving more in the I-love-her direction."

Rouge sighed. "I know I am."

"Lucky." Sonic laid on his back, more comfortable. "Knuckles told me to just tell her, but what if I'm not? I don't want to get her hopes up, then crush them. I'm afraid I'll do that, really afraid."

"Don't be. Follow Knucklehead's advice and tell her. She'll know how to proceed. Telling her gives her better footing, some solid ground to base her feelings off of, besides pure emotion. I know that if I knew what Knuckles felt, my life would be a hell of a lot easier, you know?"

"I think so, yeah."

They both looked at the door when it opened and Knuckles stepped in. "Amy wants to talk to you, Rouge." She nodded and walked over to him. He sidestepped to give her room to get by, but she stopped and kissed him. His hands came to her waist and he groaned when she bit his lip. She pulled back, smiled, and went down to her. Knuckles swallowed and shuddered.

"You guys fit. I never saw that before right now."

"Yeah, now my problem is to convince her of that." Knuckles shut the door and leaned against it, in almost the exact way Rouge had.

"I don't think that's going to be as tough as you seem to think it'll be, Knuckles. Trust me."

"Why? Did she say something to you about it, us?"

"My business. Why don't you ask her?"

"I'd have more luck getting her to tell me where she hides her jewels." Knuckles shook his head and walked over to the balcony. That kiss had stirred him up, so he was restless. Amy said that she and Tails fought a couple of Eggman's badniks."

"Yeah, they did. Amy was painting and I'd managed to walk to the balcony and stand there as long as I held on to the railing. Tails ran up shouting how Eggman was coming, kinda like Paul Revere, but without the horse. Yeah, I can't picture Tail riding a horse shouting, 'The Eggman is coming! The Eggman is coming!' Can you?"

"Not even a little bit." Knuckles walked over and sat on the bed. "It's good to see that you've got some of your old spark back."

"I am too. I was really starting to piss myself off with that self-pity fest I was putting on. You can't tell me that wasn't annoying."

"No, I can't. see you later, Sonic."

Sonic waited until he opened the door before saying, "If you tell Rouge you love her, it'll be easier on both of you."

Knuckles froze and whipped his head back. "What?"

"Just came into my head for some reason. No idea where it came from."

"Right." Knuckles went down the stairs and grinned at Tails, who was sitting on the bottom stair. "I think Sonic's getting better fast," he said, sitting down next to him.

Tails rolled his eyes. "I think Sonic does everything fast." He grinned at Knuckles, not about to tell him that Rouge might love him back. He'd listened to both conversations. He wondered if eavesdropping got harder as a person got older, but hoped not. It had helped him in the past, and was helping him cope with Sonic, his hero, nearly dieing. "I think he's getting smarter, too."

"You got that right," Knuckles said, completely unaware of the undercurrents Tails had just passed to him. "It's weird, but I don't really mind that."

Tails nodded. "That makes sense. You've never thought he was all that clever. I want to show you something at my workshop. I need a little help with this thing that I'm building."

"Ok, what do you need me to do?" They looked towards Amy's kitchen at the sound of female laughter.

Moments later Rouge and Amy walked out of it. "I'm outta here. You coming, Knux?"

"Not yet, but you can. I trust you. Tails and I are going to his workshop. Bye, Ames. See you later, Rouge." He bent down and kissed her. "That's for earlier," he whispered in her ear.

Rouge watched him leave before she brought a hand to her tingling lips. "I can't believe he just said that."

"Said what? That he trusts you? It can't come as that much of a surprise, can it?"

Rouge faced Amy. "To me, it's a shock. Bye, Amy."

"Bye!"

* * *

Awwww! How sweet! ...Since when does Sonic give advice? I guess he really has changed for the better!


	16. WARNING: Really Mushy

WARNING: Serious Mushy Scenes in this chapter! You have been warned!

* * *

Sonic leaned onto his back, annoyed with himself. He'd come so close to seeing that painting, but he'd stopped, turned around, and come right back to the bed. _Why? I want to see it, but…something's stopping me. I don't like it…_

Amy walked in, smiling hugely. "Knuckles trusts Rouge to be alone on Angel Island. She stared at him like he'd whipped out a gun and said he was an alien who was going to kill us all." She dropped a tray of food onto the bedside table and spun around to smile wider at him. "He just acted like it was no big deal and took off with Tails, saying how Tails needed his help with something."

Sonic sat up and cocked his head. "Busy ten minutes." He reached over and grabbed an apple.

"I think it's sweet, and about time something positive went on with them." She sat down next to him and bit into a strawberry.

"Sex is always positive."

She snorted. "Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude." She laid back and grinned, gesturing with the strawberry. "It's not like I'd know if sex was a positive or not, and that's not what I meant. Rouge has always, though she'd never admit it, wanted somebody to trust her with the simplicity Knuckles just did. Knuckles is harder to read, so I'm not really sure what something like that would mean to him."

Sonic shook his head. "Knuckles is the type of guy that wants respect, you know? Somebody to understand and respect him and his duties. He's an odd duck, but it works for him. Too bad he' so damn gullible…"

"I'm not all that sure he is gullible." She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before continuing. "I mean, he's been up on that island for his whole life and Eggman's the first person to have ever tried to steal the Master Emerald? Come on now, what are the odds of that?"

Sonic thought and spoke with his mouth full on purpose. "Pretty improbable, I guess. Ouch!" Pain slid through his body when she pinched his still sore bruise.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot, Sonic. Are you all right?" She rested her hand on his thigh and stared into his eyes.

Sonic opened them and set his hand on hers. "No, it's okay. Just took me by surprise. Jeez." She smiled at him and that odd reaction that he'd felt before speared into him. His body started to heat up and throb as he stared at her. This time, though, he leaned forward and laid his lips on hers.

Her other hand fisted at the gentle slide of lips. Every coherent thought slipped out of her head except his name. It slipped through her open mouth on a sigh.

His hand slid up to cup her chin, tilting her head back to kiss her thoroughly. Instead of draining, his mind filled with her. Her scent, taste, and the feel of her body near his surrounded and filled him, body, mind, and soul. How was it possible that something he'd never thought twice about doing had now become addictive? Made him think about doing more?

He pulled back as another thought passed into his head. _"It's not like I'd know if sex was a positive or not…" she'd said. Innocent. She's innocent. _He didn't know why he'd never thought about it sooner, but now he figured that he should have. He'd known her for years, and had never seen her even thinking about another guy. But where had she learned to kiss lie that? She couldn't have learned to knock a guy over in one or two kisses, right? The question came out before he could stop himself. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that, Amy?"

She shook her head to clear it. A fog had suddenly filled it and emotions had flooded her system. "What? I…What?"

"I said--"

"I know what you said, but…why'd you ask that?"

Sonic shrugged, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. "I guess I wasn't thinking clearly."

Amy blinked in confusion and shrugged. "It's not as if I've never gone out on a date before, Sonic. Loving you hasn't stopped me from saying yes if a nice guy wanted to take me out." She shrugged again. "It hasn't made me say no if one or two of them wanted to kiss me, either."

Sonic's ear twitched as he experienced a foreign emotion he somehow knew was jealousy. "What?" _Amy's kissed someone before? What the hell? Why would she have? Because I'm always running. _

As jealousy turned to shame, Sonic moved his hand to her back to pull her closer to him. He moved her gently, slowly, until her butt was in between his legs and their mouths were barely an inch apart. Her body pressed against his and Sonic realized that they fit. "Put your hand behind my back. Right. Now, move your other hand up until its just under it."

Amy's eyes were wide and a little confused. "Sonic, what are you doing?"

"None of those guy's have ever shown you where to put your hands, so I am." Sonic shifted his body and pulled her up until they were on their knees. "You ever use your instincts when it comes to this, Amy?" Breathlessly, she shook her head. Sonic chuckled, his own nerves dissolving as hers built. "Let them," he said, and crushed her against him.

Amy's eyes stayed open, wide, as he kissed her. Heat speared into her body and pooled into her gut as their tongues danced. It was different, more so than any other time she'd been kissed, including the few times Sonic had kissed her. It wasn't a gentle request, it was a rough demand, and Amy found she liked it. Her eyes closed and her body arched closer as her hands slid up his back.

Sonic heard a moan, but couldn't tell if it was his or hers. His hands were gripping Amy's waist as she kissed with back. He'd thought this would scare her, but she met him, demand for demand. It was an amazing sensation to have her so close, so warm. His mind went hazy and he forgot the rules as he dragged her down.

Sonic flinched when he rolled onto his bruised side. He pulled back and the two hedgehogs stared at each other, panting. Amy pushed back the hair that was falling into her face because Sonic had pushed her headband off. She rolled onto her back and let out a long breath. "Sonic…"

"Damn it. I'm sorry, Ames." Sonic sat up and stared down at her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For…?" Sonic cursed and stared at her. "I almost took you without a single thought, and it would've been your first time. Christ, you should be pissed right now because I was so damn careless!"

Amy looked at him, confused for a minute, until his meaning slid into her. She smiled and nodded. "Oh. I should? Really?" She sat up and laughed when Sonic's eyes grew wary. Amy had never felt like this. Invincible, like nothing could harm her. Wanted, like a woman was wanted by a man. Powerful, like she could do anything. She kissed him quickly, still smiling. "I'm not pissed."

Sonic shook his head, confused by her response and still reeling from that kiss. "Amy…I don't want to hurt you anymore, okay? If I do get around to…you know, then I'm damn well not going to do it without thinking." _Okay, now it's time to listen to Knuckles' advice. He listened to mine, time to return the favor._ Sonic took a deep breath. Amy's eyes were shining with some female emotion that had always confused all men. He took another deep breath as his mind started to fog again. _Just say it! Get it out! Tell her, _"Amy, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"What!"

Sonic opened his mouth, but Amy tackled him. He let out a small laugh and felt her tears on his chest. He tucked a finger under her chin and tipped her head back. "You're not supposed to be crying, Ames."

She let out a choked sob that could pass for a laugh had she not been crying. Her body started to shake and Sonic pulled her closer against him. He cradled her and sat up. Her arms came around his neck and he wrapped his own around her waist, his chin resting on the top of her head. Sonic soothed her and rocked, not even stopping when his eyes popped wide as he realized how good it felt to say that to her. It was an amazing sensation be in love. What was he thinking? _In _love? No, he was…maybe falling in love. Maybe…

* * *

Told you it was mushy. I'm just in a mushy kind of mood, I guess. 


	17. KnuxRouge Fluff

WARNING: MORE MUSHY STUFF AHEAD!

* * *

In Tails' Workshop…

"Okay…A little longer….NOW!" Knuckles dropped the engine into the side of Tails new creation. "Thanks, Knuckles."

"Why's that engine so heavy?" Knuckles wondered.

"En--? Oh, no, it's not an engine. It's something I invented that can withstand incredible amounts of pressure. It also supplies oxygen throughout it."

"Okay, why do you need something like that in plane?"

"Because this is a plane _and_ a submarine. I haven't figured out how to make it into a walker along with that stuff, but I will. Sooner or later." Tails stared at the machine as if the answer would just come to him. He walked over to it and leaned forward, staring at what Knuckles had dropped into it. "I still need to connect the bottom wires to it. Knuckles, could you lift this again? Not really high."

"No problem." Knuckles lifted the thing just high enough so Tails could attach the wires in place.

A few minutes later, Tails moved away and gave Knuckles a thumbs up, telling him. "You can put it down, Knuckles." He walked over to a small sink and washed the grease and grime off of his hands. "I've got a question for you."

Knuckles shrugged and sat down on a bench. "Okay. Shoot."

"Are you in love with Rouge?"

Knuckles eyes went wide and he stuttered for a couple minutes. "NO!" he finally said.

Tails turned off the water and dried his hands. He turned and looked Knuckles straight in the eye. "I think you're lying."

"Wha-NO! Why would I lie about something stupid like that?"

"You think being in love is stupid?"

"I…" Tails had him there. Knuckles slouched back and crossed his arms. "Damn it. Okay, honestly? Yes and no."

"That doesn't make any sense." Tails sat down next to the Echidna and handed him the rag.

"I don't think the idea is stupid." Knuckles sighed. "Okay, I love Rouge, and it makes me feel stupid. She makes my brain feel fuzzy and slow."

Tails blinked a few times. "I think I get it. Are you gonna tell her?"

Knuckles snorted. "I can't even imagine telling her, Tails."

"Now that doesn't make any sense to me."

"Well…It's because…Screw it, Tails. You're still too young to understand." He stood. "I've gotta go. I've left the Master Emerald alone too long. Bye, Tails."

"Bye! Thanks for your help!" Tails walked over to a table covered with blueprints. _Maybe I am too young to really understand, but he still needs to tell her. She wants him too…_

On Angel Island…

Knuckles walked towards his cabin. He stopped by the Master Emerald to talk to Chaos and nodded when the water creature gurgled at him to go home. He had everything under control. _I could leave Angel Island. Chaos doesn't need my help guarding the Master Emerald, but…What would I do? I've always guarded the Master Emerald, so I have no idea if I could do anything different._ Knuckles sighed and looked at the doorway when it opened. Then his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Rouge leaned against the doorjamb wearing nothing but a sly smile. She laughed at his expression and walked inside, making sure to swing her hips. He followed, quickly, after watching her sexy little butt move.

Later…

Rouge rolled over and traced his crescent mark with her finger. Knuckles had his hands cupped behind his head and he grinned at her. "I didn't say hi earlier, so hi, Rouge."

She kissed him. "Hi."

"So, not that I minded or anything, but why did you do that? Opened the door like that."

"It may not be a big deal to you, but when someone who means a lot to me says they trust me it means a lot. Not many people trust me. I don't even think the freakin' president trusts me." She shrugged.

"Well, I trust you. So…I mean a lot to you?"

She looked away, then flicked her eyes to his. "Yeah, you do. I think I'm falling in love with you."

Knuckles nodded. "Catch up, will you?"

"What?"

"Catch up because I already love you."

She blinked and he grinned at her. Rouge swallowed and had to force tears back. "I…Oh, God." She pressed her mouth to his for a soul-searing kiss. His arms came around her and she poured everything she was, everything she had and felt into that kiss.

They broke apart panting. Knuckles grinned at her. "Did you catch up yet?"

"Pain in the ass, Echidna." She stared at him, smile widening with each feature she memorized. "I caught up, Knuckles," she said softly. "I can't really believe this, but I love you."

She didn't let her tears fall, but Knuckles saw them. He kissed her gently. "You can only cry if those are tears of joy," he whispered.

"They are, Knucklehead." He kissed her again and a tear slid down her cheek. "They certainly are."

* * *

Come on, now. You gotta love the fluff! 


	18. Serious Progress

Next day…

Sonic woke quickly and early. _Maybe I should try making it downstairs. It can't be too bad or painful…I hope._ Sonic swung his feet over the edge and stare at his feet before pushing himself up. He decided not to push himself, and took small, slow steps. He pushed himself through the door and leaned on the stair railing. He squeezed his eyes closed.

He let out a few short breaths and clung to the railing as he took his first step down. He opened one eye when there was no pain. "Phew." _Okay, Sonic, move the other foot._ He brought his other foot next to the first one on the same stair. _Great. Now I just have to do this a few more times._ He repeated it until his face was red and his breath was coming out in pants. He reached the bottom and nearly collapsed. He looked up at the top of the stairs and grinned. It may have been exhausting, but he'd managed it. He dragged himself over to the nearest chair and collapsed on it.

He looked over at the couch and saw Amy, sleeping underneath a small mountain of blankets. He grinned at her and looked at the clock on her wall. 6:37 A.M. _I did all this on maybe six hours of sleep. On the road to recovery thanks to Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. Especially Amy._ Sonic tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.

"_Amy!"_

_"Yeah?" She laughed when she was picked up by a blue blur coming at her._

_"Let's go somewhere! I found this place; it's awesome."_

_"It doesn't really look like I've got a choice, Sonic! You're already taking me," she laughed._

_"Yeah, I know." I run, carrying her, for miles until we're stopped. Seconds before the skies were a soft blue and the clouds were giant puffballs of different shapes and figures. Now the sky was black, the clouds red, like blood. I skidded to a stop, still holding Amy as Eggman appears in a large craft, holding a laser. The same laser he almost killed me with._

_Amy jumps out of my arms and runs at it with her hammer raised high. I call out to her, but I'm suddenly weak, to weak to go after her. She turns, and I see tears falling. I feel my own. We both understand that her plan is in place, and all she has to do is die. She throws her hammer straight at the laser. It explodes and Amy's body is gone from my sight. The laughter I heard seconds before from Eggman stops. _

_I know they're both gone, and I couldn't do anything. I drop to my knees, crying. I couldn't save her this time. She died to save me and everyone else from getting hurt._

_I can hear her voice, calling out my name. Is it an Illusion? Am I dreaming?_

_Sonic…Sonic…_

_"_Sonic!"

Sonic felt someone's hand on his arm, shaking him. He shuddered and opened his eyes. "Amy?"

"Oh, Sonic! You had a nightmare! You were yelling…" _My name. You wouldn't stop saying my name. _"Are you all right, Sonic?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine, Ames."

"If you're sure…Wait, what are you doing down here?"

"I walked down the stairs." He waited a beat. "It's not a big deal."

She winked at him. "Of course not." She hugged him and smiled. "I'm so glad you're getting better. Either by the end of today, or tomorrow, you'll be able to run some, I think."

"That depends on whether or not I'll be able to get back upstairs. If I can do that, I can run."

Amy let out a laugh. "You know you won't be at full speed for a while, right?"

Sonic sighed. "Yeah, I know. But if I can move my legs, I'll build my speed back up pretty quickly. Heck, my mom said I started running when I was two." He flashed a grin at her, then frowned. "Huh. That's weird."

"What's weird?"

"I haven't so much as thought about my mom in years, and I'm talking about her. That's weird to me."

Amy looked at her hands. "Hmm…" was all she said.

"What?"

"I think that's kind of…sad that you don't think about your mother."

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, well…Let's just say that she was one of those women who weren't meant to be mothers."

Amy inched closer, curiosity piked. "How's that?"

"Well, she kinda…just…went through the motions. You know? She applauded me and praised me for my speed and other stuff, but…hugs, stories, and 'I love you's' weren't a common thing while I was growing up."

"You haven't even gone to see her?"

"Well…she's dead," Sonic said, uncomfortable with the topic.

"What about your father?"

Sonic snorted. "You mean the drunk bastard that liked to hit anything he considered weak, including his wife and son?" Amy's eyes widened and Sonic flinched. He'd never told anyone that, and hadn't planned on it. "I'm sorry, Ames. I wasn't think--" He broke off on a small groan when she kissed him. "What was that for?" he murmured.

"I didn't know that, Sonic. Any of that."

Sonic shrugged. "Nobody does, Amy. It's not the sort of thing I talk about. Ever."

"Then why are you?"

"I…don't really know. I really have no idea why."

"What I really want to know is how you came from those two."

"Well, that's just one-sided, and--" She kissed him again, and Sonic decided that he didn't mind getting interrupted if she did it like this. "What was that one for?"

"You're father beat you, and your mother might as well have neglected you, and you're defending them. I really love you, Sonic."

"Yeah, well…" The doorbell rang. "Who is that?"

Amy looked around her. "I'm not sure, but I don't think I'll like whoever it is."

"Me either."

Amy stood and peeked out her window. She dropped the curtain back in place and gasped. "Uh-oh."

"I don't like the sound of 'uh-oh,' Amy." Sonic stood and gripped the arm of the chair when his legs wobbled.

"You shouldn't," she was saying. Then she heaved a heavy sigh. "I'll get rid of him." She walked over and put Sonic's arm over her shoulder. She helped him to the kitchen and set him in a chair. "Don't say a word, and promise me that you'll stay here. No matter what."

"I promise, but Amy, who is it?"

"No one. Absolutely no one important."

Sonic sighed and watched her leave. He put his elbow on the table, and rested his chin in his hand, listening as Amy answered the door.

"What are you doing here?" His eyes widened at her tone. He'd never heard her talk to anyone like that before, with…not hatred, Amy could never hate anyone, but…immense dislike? Disdain? Whatever, Amy did NOT like the fact that whoever this person, guy, Sonic realized. Whoever this guy was, Amy didn't like that he was there.

"I told you before, Amy. I'm here for you, to…console you." Sonic's eyes narrowed. This guy sounded pretty damn horny, and Sonic didn't like that his glands had turned to Amy.

"I appreciate that, but I don't want, or need, the type of consolation you're offering. I appreciate the gesture, and I'm flattered that you find me attractive, but--"

"You are more than attractive, me lovely rose. You, my dear, are the most beautiful flower, just blooming like this one." Sonic growled quietly, imagining this jerk holding out a flower to her.

Amy sighed. "It's lovely, but I--"

"Yes, it is lovely. Sweet, like you. My dear Amy, please take it as a token of my supreme affection." He practically forced it into her hands and smiled at her. "Now, are you going to invite me in, my dear?"

"No, I'm not."

His smile faltered, and Sonic's widened. "Pardon me, Amy?"

"I said, I'm not going to invite you in. I've told you before that I have no interest in you, sexually or otherwise."

"My dear, you've cut me to the quick. You haven't even taken the time to get to know me."

"Hey! I said I didn't want you in my home!"

"'Didn't?' My dear, does that mean you have no objections to my being here now?"

"Get out of my house now!"

"My dear--"

"Stop calling me that! I'm not your dear, got it? Now I demand that you and your hormones get out of my house! I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you push me."

"Hurt me? A female hurt me? That's preposterous!"

"And that's sexist!" Sonic heard his gasp and grinned foolishly picturing Amy's Piko-Piko hammer an inch from this guy's face. "Get out now," she said, spacing each word carefully.

Sonic heard the door slam, then open again. "Take your damn flower with you, jackass!"

The door slammed forcefully and Sonic forced himself to stand, to walk over to her. "Nice job, 'my dear.'"

"Shut-up, Sonic."

"So has that jackass been bothering you a lot?"

"Just for the last little while. I just hope he finally got the message."

"You never did."

Amy turned and stared at him. "I…I didn't…You mean…"

"Oh, hell, I didn't mean it like that, Ames." He wrapped his arms around her. "Seriously, I didn't. You're in love with me. He's in lust with you. There's a really big difference."

"I've never been in lust with you, Sonic."

"See? There you go. Wait, what?"

Amy laughed and hugged him back. "Ah. I see I've bruised your male ego. I've never thought of having sex with any guy."

Sonic framed her face in his hands, studied it. His eyes glinted and Amy's grew wary. "I think I can change your mind."

"What do you mean?" she asked, breathlessly.

"This." He slid his hand to the back of her neck. He lowered his head and stopped, their lips a whisper apart, to savor that moment where her breath caught and her heart stumbled. Then he closed the distance. Soft, as her lips always seemed to be. And warm. Her quills were silky against his hand, and her body was such a pleasure to feel against his own.

Her body had gone very still, but her heart slammed against his. Then he felt her hand on his back, the fist she made as she gathered his quills in her fingers.

He made himself ease back. Though his belly was quivering, he did his best to give her his usual cocky grin while she stared at him with deep, jade eyes.

"Still not planning on it?"

She lifted a hand, and dropped it. "I…can't think."

"Good, then you can't stop me from doing this." He pulled her against him, hands on her hips and his mouth met hers. As his tongue dipped in for an intimate taste, his hands slid up, cruising over her body, setting off thousands of little electrical charges.

He stepped back, and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her tingling lips. "Now neither of can think."

"As soon as you can, let me know." Amy took a step back and shuddered. "You really know how to kiss, Sonic."

He grinned at her. "Better than that prissy guy ever could."

"What prissy…Oh. Oh, I just walked right into that one, huh?"

Sonic laughed. "Yeah. It's a real boost to the ego when a guy can make a girl forget about the last guy who talked to her."

"You do not need an ego boost."

"Too late." He did need an ego boost, though. Ever since he was hit, others had been taking care of him and pitying him. Sonic couldn't stand that. "Hmm…I wonder…" Sonic walked over to the stairs and took a tight hold of the banister. He took a step, then another. He glanced back at Amy. "How many stairs are there?"

"Umm…23, I think."

"Okay. One down 22 more to go." In a few minutes, Sonic was leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs, grinning down at Amy. "Yes, I think I'll try running later." He pressed a hand to his growling stomach. "I can't run on an empty stomach, Ames. That's a hint, by the way."

She laughed. "Think you can make it back down?"

"Sure." Sonic took one step, and Amy went into the kitchen. Sonic narrowed his eyes on the banister. He got a good grip on it, and pulled himself onto it. He somehow managed to stand and he grinded down.

"What are you doing?"

Sonic grinned at Tails. "Grinding. Not sure if I can land it, though." He stopped himself just before he reached the edge and pulled himself down, onto his feet. Okay, I can walk up and down stairs, and I can grind. Progress."

Tails grinned at Sonic, extremely glad to see his best friend up and around again. "Serious progress. Where's Amy?"

"In the kitchen." He rubbed his stomach and licked his lips. "Breakfast."

Tails laughed. Oh, yeah, he thought, Sonic the Hedgehog was coming back with his usual speed. They walked back into the kitchen and Sonic's legs started to feel wobbly again. He sat in a chair and Tails plopped down in the chair next to him. "Hi Amy. Sonic just slid down the banister."

"What?"

"Tattletale."

Amy rolled her eyes. "How old are you? Six?"

Tails snickered and Sonic laughed. "I could be."

"You might as well be."

Sonic looked up at Knuckles. "Hey."

"He slid down Amy's stair railing."

"You're just jealous, Tails."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "You're both six."

Amy beamed at him. "Where's Rouge?"

"She had something to do. Said she'd be by later."

"Which basically translates into she had a jewel to steal. She'll brag without really admitting to it later."

Knuckles nodded Sonic. "Exactly. What're you makin' Amy?"

"Food," she admitted.

"What kind of food?"

She laughed. "Good food."

Knuckles rolled his eyes and Sonic grinned widely. "She got you there, Knuckles."

Knuckles slouched back in his chair and smiled back. "Apparently she did."

* * *

Now that's a long update, if I do say so myself. 


	19. Speedy Recovery Speedy Plans

Later…

"Hey, Rouge. What jewel'd you go and steal today?"

"Shut-up, Sonic!" She did a quick double-take. "Sonic?"

"He walked up and down the stairs, AND slid down the banister," Tails remarked.

Sonic glared over at him. "You're just not gonna let that go, are you?"

"Nope. Sorry, but it's awesome!"

Rouge crossed her eyes. "I do not want to know." She zeroed in on Knuckles when he chuckled and surprised everyone, including herself, when she kissed him. "Hi."

He let out a low whistle. "Hi." His eyes weren't completely focused, Sonic noticed. And his goofy grin was way out-of-place. "Oh, yeah! That reminds me, I've got something to give you later, Rouge."

She tipped her head to the side. "Oh?" A smile crossed her face. "What?"

"None of your business. Hey, Amy, is it true that you can paint?"

Rouge blinked at her and glanced over at Sonic, who was grinning at her with…pride? Why would Sonic be feeling pride about the possible fact that she can paint?

Amy beamed at him. "Did Tails tell you that?"

"Yep. So is it?"

She blushed and looked away. "It might be."

"Yes, she can. She's great at it, too." All of them were a bit startled by Sonic's compliment. He ignored their looks and stood. "I want to try running." He looked around the living room and mapped out his coarse, bouncing on his legs, eager to run. He took a testing step and nearly crumbled to the ground. He shook his body and got rid of his nerves. Running was a part of him, a part of his life. He HAD to run, NOW!

He shot around the room, but they could all see him, albeit he was a little blurry. It was like watching Tails run without spinning his tails. He cursed and kept running until his lungs and legs burned like fire. When he stopped and collapsed into a chair, he looked around at their reactions.

Tails was awed, which was a very good sign.

Rouge had a small smile tugging at her lips, which was either the result of Knuckles' blushes or it was another good sign.

Knuckles was indeed a bright red color, his cheeks matching his fur. So he couldn't be any judge.

What worried him was Amy's reaction. In her he saw worry and a light fear. "I'll be right back," she said, and disappeared into the kitchen. _Oh, no! He's already going to fast! Damn it! I should've just let him heal on his own! I should NOT have asked Shadow for his help!_ Her eyes watered as she came to her conclusion. _I have to move soon, very, very soon. Tonight._ She wiped a tear away and glared at it. _I don't have any other choice! If I'm going to get rid of Eggman, I need to do it before Sonic can run as fast as he used to! I don't have any other options…But I'm so afraid…_

_Oh, Sonic. I wish you really did love me! Then maybe…I wouldn't do it…But he doesn't, so I'm going through with it. Tonight._

_

* * *

_I'm almost done with this story everyone! Well, this is my last update before school starts up again...Damn. Sorry, but my almost daily updates will trickle down into every other day updates. It sucks...horribly, but don't worry! I will return in full swing on weekends and sick days! 


	20. Love Him & Leave Him

Sonic didn't mention Amy's reaction, or even acknowledge it, and neither did she. Sonic waited until Knuckles, Rouge, and Tails had left before facing her. Anticipating the question, Amy stood and walked into the kitchen, not giving him a chance to speak. He stood and tried to follow, but he'd tired himself out running around the living room. He never thoughtsomething that pathetic would happen to him… "Amy!" he yelled.

"What?" she answered from the kitchen.

"You know what."

Amy walked out of the kitchen and stared at him. Her blue hero was too weak right now to stand. If she left now, he'd never get her…But she wouldn't leave him yet."Sonic, I don't want to talk about it. It's my business, so--"

"I don't care! Why did you look so…sad or whatever other emotion besides glad when I was able to run faster than I expected?"

"I don't--"

"Nope. Cop out." His face softened when her eyes started to water, and he held out a hand. "Come here, Amy. Please."

She walked over and linked their hands. "Sonic…" she whispered.

Sonic shook his head. "I'm not planning on leaving, Ames. Got it? For now, but as soon as your plan gets accomplished…We'll worry about that bridge when we come to it. Help me up."

When he was standing, Amy wrapped her arms around him and let her tears fall. "That's only part of it, Sonic."

"Then what's the rest, Amy? I want to help you." She pulled away and ran up the stairs, into her bedroom. Sonic swallowed nervously, then his stubborn eyes flickered on the stairs. He pulled himself over, pushing away the dregs of exhaustion. He gripped the railing and slowly pulled himself up, one step at a time. He had to find out what was wrong with her, her other reason for being upset at his speed.

_Damn it, I was so sure he was about to say he loved me. Why am I such an idiot?_ Amy punched her pillow, then smothered her face with it, letting it soak up the hot tears that leaked from her eyes. The door opened, but she didn't look up. A thought came into her head that sent shivers racing across her body. _How would he react if I tried that?_

She heard a light _creak_ when Sonic sat next to her. She could feel her heart begin to thump when he started to rub her back. She stretched under his hands, and Sonic had to fight the urge to move them anywhere else. Without warning, she rolled and his hands were on her breasts. He blew out a surprised gasp and blinked at her.

He was bringing his hands away when she sat up and kissed him, arching against him. He groaned and started to move back, but she pulled him down, so he was laying on top of her. "Sonic," she murmured when he started to sit up. Her eyes fluttered open and met his. "Please…"

Sonic swallowed as her meaning latched inside his brain. He swallowed again when she drew one of her gloves off, then the other. His breath panted out when she arched up to me him, soft, bare hands pressing him closer. She tugged one of his gloves off and dropped it onto the floor, and Sonic shook his head to clear it. "Amy, are you…Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes, Sonic." She pulled his other glove off, amazed by what she was doing. She'd never done anything like this before, had never wanted to…until now, with him.

Her breath caught when he pulled her headband out of her quills and tossed it. "You'd better be very sure, Amy. 100 percent positive, understand? Because once I get started, I have no intention of stopping."

She nodded, eyes wide when he reached behind her neck to untie the halter top…

Later…

Amy pressed a kiss to Sonic's cheek and smiled at him before sliding out of the bed. She dressed quickly, quietly, thinking to herself. _Oh, Sonic. I knew I loved you, but that…_She sighed and looked back at his sleeping form from the doorway. _I never thought that I could love you more, Sonic. But that blew my theory out of the water._

She grabbed a notebook and a pen once she reached the kitchen. She quickly scrawled down a note. She stopped, a second before leaving the house when her thoughts turned to Shadow. _He's living with so many lies and half-truths right now…I have to tell him at least. I have to._

She came back into the kitchen and dialed the number he'd left for her. Grateful when he didn't pick up, she left a rambling message on his machine. She finally hung up and ran out…towards what she knew was her death…

* * *

The first few chapters are short, and the last few chapters are short. Deal with it! 


	21. Letterbomb

Words in _italics_ are thoughts and Amy's letter. Just so you know, and are not confused.

* * *

Sonic groaned and reached out for Amy. When all he felt was cool sheets he wondered if he'd just dreamed it. _But I couldn't have. It was too…real to be a dream._ "Amy?" he called.

No answer.

He stood, a little worried now. Pulling back the sheets, he noticed the small blood stain that had come when he'd… _Oh, God! Did I hurt her? Is that why she left?_

He staggered, a little unsteady having just woken up. He walked to the stairs and looked over the railing. She wasn't on the couch. Now Sonic was really feeling worried. _Where'd you go, Amy?_ He went back into the bedroom and pulled on his shoes and gloves. He went to the stairs and was about to walk down, but decided against it, not wanting to waste any more energy than what was needed. He pulled himself up and slid down the banister, landing smoothly.

He walked into the kitchen, flipped on the lights, and hissed when the sudden brightness stung his eyes. He looked around, not noticing the small paper folded neatly on the table. "Amy?" he called again.

His stomach turned when he walked into the kitchen after searching every room. He sat down at the table and saw the paper just as he was putting his head down on it. He snatched it up quickly and scanned it.

_Sonic,_

_Please don't be too angry with me for leaving. I don't really see any other way to…to finish this. I'm so sorry, but that plan I told you before? Wait until Eggman blows himself up? Well…it was a lie._

There was a tear stain there, Sonic noticed. What was her real plan, then? Kill herself? Sonic read on to find out, gasping in shock.

_Knuckles told me just how fast I ran when I got you out after…you got hurt. I was so scared at the time that I guess my legs just moved. I know they won't this time, not after I do something as horrible as what I'm planning. Oh, Sonic…I'm going to kill him by blowing up that laser he has. It'll probably kill me too, but…I guess no one'll really mind._

Sonic's heart started pounding in his throat. What is she saying? She can't die! Everyone'll miss her! He read on.

_No, I know some of you guys will miss me, but it's really for the better, Sonic. With Eggman and me gone, you can do more. Really have that freedom you want and deserve. I love you, Sonic. More than I can ever say, write down, anything. I just truly, dearly love you. I just wish…_

There was another tear stain there. Sonics eyes were starting to blur with his own as the dream came back to him. Amy and Eggman dying, him not being able to do anything. He shook his head, and pushed himself to continue reading.

_I just wish you loved me, too. Be careful with freedom, Sonic. It's a double-edged sword. Tell the others…Tell them I'm sorry for lying to them all. Because I am. I'm so sorry, but I just couldn't think of anything else to do, I still can't. I have to go now, Sonic. Never forget me, is all I ask. Never forget last night._

_Love always, _

_Amy Rose_

Sonic hands trembled and he fought himself from tearing the letter apart. _You can't leave me, Amy! I do love you!_ He stared at the paper and pressed it on the table, smoothing out the wrinkles he'd put in it. "I love her," he whispered. He jerked when the door slammed open.

"Sonic! Sonic? What are you…I thought you were the one who…Why would Amy take one of my planes?"

Sonic stared at Tails, dumbfounded. "Amy took one of your planes?" he asked dully.

Tails moved a little closer. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Sonic, are you feeling okay?" Sonic shook his head and handed Tails the paper. His eyes widened in shock. "NO WAY! But Amy wouldn't…What happened last night?"

"None of your business," he replied harshly, then winced. "Sorry, Tails."

"N-no, it's o-okay." He handed the letter back. "She can't die," he whispered. "She just can't!" he almost shouted. Tails grabbed the phone and dialed Knuckles' number. "Amy's gone to get herself killed!" he shouted when a groggy Knuckles answered. "Get over here, now!"

"Tails, what's--" was all Knuckles could say before the phone was slammed down on the other end.

"What's going on?" Rouge asked beside him.

"All he said, yelled, was that Amy's gone to kill herself, and that we should get over there. Now."

She threw back the blankets. "Then what are we doing here? Let's go!"

"You might want to get dressed, first." He yelped when he was hit in the head with his own shoe. "Okay, I get the point. No more smart remarks."

She nodded and laughed, using her sonar to guide herself to her clothes in the dark, not bothering to turn on a light. "Hurry up, Knucklehead," she said, throwing his other shoe at him. "We need to find out what's going on."

* * *

Yes, I'm cutting it off here. Sorry people! But these last few chapters will be my shrtest!

Tear...

Get over it.


	22. Prison Island?

At Amy's House…

"Why do you think she's doing this, Sonic?"

"To keep the rest of us from getting hurt like I did, or worse." Sonic sighed and let his tired eyes close. He was scared and felt…empty knowing that she'd left knowing full-well that she might die, sure she would.

Tails was startled when Sonic laid his head down on the table. He'd never seen his hero and best friend display so much weakness. "Sonic…" He trailed off, unsure what to say.

Then he jumped when a bright light filled the room and Shadow appeared. The ebony hedgehog glanced at Sonic with a light smirk. "Stupid hedgehog…Moping are we?"

Sonic's body tensed. "What do you want, faker?"

Shadow decided to ignore that and flipped open his cell phone. He sat down, ignoring Tails, and shoved the phone against Sonic's ear.

Sonic's head snapped up as Amy's voice filled his ear. "Hi, Shadow. Listen, I know you said not to call you unless it's really important, but I think this is extremely important." There was a pause as Amy took a breath. "That whole thing that I told you about waiting for Eggman for screw himself was a lie. I think you need to hear the truth because you're life is so full of lies. I hate lying, but I didn't see any other choice in this case. I'm going to get rid of Eggman, before Sonic gets better. He ran almost as fast as normal today, but not as long, so I know I have to do it tonight. I'll most likely die when I blow up his new machine, but if no one else gets hurt by it, I'm fine with it. I'm about to leave, and just wanted to tell you…Good luck, Shadow. Don't ever give up. Goodbye."

Sonic's ear started to twitch when he heard the soft click of her hanging up. "Do you have a Chaos Emerald, Shadow?"

"Of course." Shadow pulled out the green Chaos Emerald, and set it on the table. "Why?"

"Because…" Sonic reached out and touched it. "Chaos Control," he whispered, and was gone in a flash of light.

Shadow stared down at the spot where the Chaos Emerald had been, then at Sonic's now vacant chair. "I suppose we'll have to go after him. He's still not healed enough to make it out with her." He stood. "Let's go." He turned when Knuckles, followed closely by Rouge, burst into the room.

Rouge slid in front of Knuckles. "Shadow?"

"Sonic's gone after Amy. Tails and I were about to go after him."

Knuckles fisted his hands. "That idiot! He's gonna get himself killed!"

"That's what Amy's doing, Knuckles," Tails said quietly.

"What?"

"You explain everything to them, Tails. I'll go after Sonic on the ground. Fly after him." He handed Tails a piece of paper. "That's where Eggman's base is." Then he was gone.

Tails stared at the small map Shadow had given him. "He's on Prison Island? Eggman blew that place up a while ago!"

Rouge tapped her foot, recalling her own involvement in blowing up the government stronghold. "It was never completely destroyed, though. Just a main chunk was obliterated. The rest of it's fine, for the most part."

"Hmm…Okay, then. That makes more sense. Come on. We'll go to my workshop and get one of my planes. Amy took the Tornado 2."

"Why would she take the Tornado 2?" Knuckles wondered aloud.

"Because I taught her how to work it," Tails replied, already leaving.

Knuckles and Rouge looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. "Makes sense," Knuckles said to her.

On Prison Island…

Eggman rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Finally. Now that I've killed that damned blue menace, I can conquer the world!" A light alarm went off on his computer and he chuckled. "Whoever this is, they won't get very far." He hit a button to bring up a camera view of the intruder. "Amy?" Eggman chuckled when he saw the pink hedgehog riding inside the Tornado 2 in its walker form. "Well, well, well. It seems that the rose is missing her little blue hedgie boyfriend." His laughter turned dark. "Good luck, Amy Rose. You certainly need it." He hit another button to send a small team of robots after her, then turned back to view his schematics for his death ray. "Brilliant. I must say that I am a complete and total genius."

He glanced over to his right when the door slid open. His beady eyes widened in shock as he watched Amy step through, unscathed. "What? But why haven't you been captured?"

"I didn't come here to get captured, Eggman!" Amy swung her hammer out and pointed it at him. "I'm here to kill you."

* * *

Ooh! Ooh! I wonder how Eggman's gonna react to that? lol! You know you want to know just as much as I do! Keep reading! I'll update soon with what, will most likely be, the final chapter! 


	23. Bye Bye

Sonic landed on Prison Island, just barely, and nearly fell into the water behind him. He looked up and saw smoke. _Amy! Damn, this is gonna be hard to do…_ He started to run for the base, afraid for her, for himself.

Meanwhile…

Eggman stared at Amy for a few moments. A smile tugged at his lips that quickly evolved into a full laugh. "You? Kill me? MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, I'd like to see you try!"

"Would you really? You'd like me to kill you?" Amy swung her hammer in a circle and slammed it into the ground. "Because I certainly will."

Eggman laughed again. "Just because you miss Sonic, doesn't make you stronger than you've ever been before! Nor does it make you a threat to me! Go home, Amy, before I use my death ray on you, like I did to Sonic."

Amy's eyes flashed with anger. "Sonic is NOT dead you imbecile! He's at my home and you'll never hurt him or anyone else again! I will kill you today!"

Eggman leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing. There's no way Sonic could have survived!"

"There is a way, and he did. I will not let you hurt him again!" She charged forward, hammer high. Eggman hit a button and robotic arms speared out from the platform Eggman was on top of. He watched, amazed as she effortlessly dodged each blow. She spun her hammer in a circle and the gust of wind it created blew her up, closer to Eggman.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "You want to play games, Amy? Fine, I'll play with you!" He hit a button, activating his ray. He hit another to let it charge.

Amy saw her chance and heaved her hammer up, quickly producing another and another, throwing each of them up, aiming carefully for the console. One bounced off Eggman, knocking him unconscious. Amy quickly made her way up to where he was, heart pounding wildly. _If he stays knocked out, I can just kill him and leave! Please, please, stay asleep, Eggman!_

She jumped up and stood on his console, hammer raised high. She was bringing it down as Eggman woke-up. Startled, he jerked back, the Piko-Piko hammer missing his head by inches. He hit a random button and the ray shifted to point at them. Amy fell back, surprised. Her hand reached out to just barely wrap around the edge. She looked down and gasped. Eggman had raised the platform, so they were even higher. She started struggling to lift herself up, but Eggman grabbed her hands and jerked them off.

She nearly let out a scream, but managed to clear her head to think. _No way am I gonna let _him_ kill_ me! Her eyes burned with hatred as she stared at Eggman. He dropped one of her hands and she didn't do a thing, but let it drop to her side. Eggman laughed at her and swung her arm so her body began to sway. Still she made no sound. "What's the matter Amy? Did your little plot fail? Muahahahaha! Of course, what am I thinking? You're just a little girl, no threat to me whatsoever." He laughed again and Amy smiled at him. "What's so funny, Amy Rose? You shouldn't be delighted at the fact that I'm winning."

Her smile widened. "Oh, but it is working." She gestured her free hand at the ray, fully charged, ready to fire. "You see, Eggman, it looks like if you press one button, that thing'll go off. It'll kill you."

Eggman narrowed his eyes. "What?" he hissed, then he smiled. "But there's a flaw in your plan! The death ray will destroy you as well!"

Amy's smile softened, saddened. "I came here expecting to die. But I know that you will as well. That's all that matters."

Eggman let out a howl of rage and dropped her. Amy had to make sure he died, so she slammed a hammer into a metal bar and it slowed her descent, finally sticking not a foot from the ground. She let out a sigh of relief, but it changed into an angry huff when she saw that Eggman was coming down, unharmed, the ray averted to the other direction. Amy looked around her and saw the reason. She'd smashed the console on his platform, but hadn't destroyed the one on the floor. She raised her hammer and ran towards it. She skidded to a stop when a robot shot at her. She nearly shouted for Sonic, but shook her head, and ran for the 'bot instead. It dodged her, but she did a small flip, changing her direction, and smashed it. The explosion knocked her back, but she quickly stood again.

Amy started running for the ground console, but the ray dropped directly in front of her. Eggman's voice sounded above her. "Give it up, girlie! There's no way you'd survive such close contact with the ray! Not even Sonic could save you!"

Amy whirled around, and Eggman cut his laughter short at the look in her eyes. She raised her hammer and, surprising Eggman, did a double-take and flung it behind her, above the ray, landing squarely on the ground computer, smashing it.

Eggman's jaw hung limp. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" he raged. "That computer is the only thing keeping the death ray from firing! You've killed yourself!"

As he spoke, Amy ran quickly out of the ray's way and began flinging hammer-after-hammer at the console. _One more! One more and he's gone!_ Tears streamed down her cheeks as she brought it up and smashed it down with all her strength. Behind her, the ray fired. She turned her head to watch the beam of light shoot out, bounce off the metal wall, and collide with Eggman's platform. It exploded and the heat engulfed her before clearing, only to make room for another explosion.

Amy closed her eyes. _At least he's gone. He'll never hurt anyone again. I just know he won't… _She opened her eyes and blinked back more tears. _Goodbye,_ she thought and shut her eyes. Suddenly something slammed into her, lifting her off the ground.

"Damn it," she heard.

Her eyes napped open and she stared at Sonic. "SONIC! Y-you're not…What are you--?" she spluttered.

"I'm saving your butt, and I'm gonna let you know it's a pain in the ass. And lungs. And definitely legs. Why did you do this?" he demanded.

Amy stared at him. She could feel his speed slowing. She looked back as another explosion sounded. _We'll never make it out…_ "I didn't want you to follow me. You weren't supposed to!" she cried.

Sonic felt the explosion as well as heard it. He knew he was slowing down and he could feel his body weakening. "Okay, look. Knux told me you ran into him going about 250 miles per hour, or something like that. What I need, is for you do is run like that when I set you down. I can't run carrying you like normal."

"Then just leave me!" she shouted.

He let out a small laugh and looked at her. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think? Besides, I'd never leave you behind, got it? Never have, never will. End of story." He felt a cough rising in his chest, but couldn't stop it. He stumbled and nearly dropped her. _Bad timing,_ he thought when another explosion filled their ears. _Close. It was close that time. I've gotta get us out of here. But how?_

"Put me down, Sonic."

"What?" He looked down at her, holding tighter.

"I'll run," she stated, eyes filled with determination. He set her down quickly, gripped her hand and started running. For a second, she was lifted off of her feet, but forced them to start moving. She was startled at how fast she was running. True, her legs began hurting rather quickly, but still. She was running as fast as he was. It was amazing!

After three more explosions they finally reached the exit. Sonic pulled out the Chaos Emerald and stared at it. "Why didn't you just use that?" Amy demanded.

Sonic grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm not used to having one around. Besides, I don't even know if it'll work for me again."

"Try it!" The building shook with another explosion. A piece of the ceiling fell and hit her. She dropped to the ground immediately, without a whimper.

Sonic stared. "Damn it." He held the Chaos Emerald tightly. "Chaos Control," he murmured. The green gem flickered, but didn't teleport them. Sonic stared outside at it, frustrated. "Damn it!" _Maybe if I focused on a spot closer to where we are…_ Sonic closed his eyes. "Chaos Control!" he shouted. He cursed violently when nothing happened.

He glared at the Chaos Emerald, and another explosion happened, close enough to burn. He yelped and jumped back. He stared around him. Fire surrounded them now, blocking the door. Amy coughed and sat up slowly. Her lungs were burning and her eyes watered with the smoke. "Sonic, this is why you weren't supposed to come!"

He picked her up again and stared at the door. "Raise your hammer up. I'll spindash into the door, your humeral hit it, and we'll be out of here." His voice was scratchy and his throat burned. She did and they managed to break through the metallic door.

They landed on the grass and started running as well as they could before staggering to a stop. Sonic dropped to his hands and knees, coughing wearily. Amy stared at him, eyes wide. "I can't believe I actually did it. I killed Eggman," she said, then passed out.

Sonic let out a weak chuckled and crawled to her, unable to stand. "You sure did, Ames," he murmured and collapsed next to her.

* * *

Okay, I've changed my mind. I think this story can handle another chapter. LOL It'll be the epilogue! Oh, yeah!

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! You really make this bad day seem a lot better!


	24. Ending!

Just so all of you know, I only re-posted this chapter cuz I acccidentaly deleted it... lol

* * *

A few Weeks Later…

Sonic let out a laugh and glanced back at Tails. He was bent over, searching through an old box. "No way am I just gonna run off, pal." His emerald eyes lit up when he saw the little black box. He pulled it out and grinned.

"What's that?" Tails queried. Sonic flipped open the box and Tails' cobalt eyes went wide. "Holy crap!" He grabbed it and studied the ring. It had rubies shaped to resemble a rose with a single diamond in the center. "You're going to ask Amy to…" Tails looked up into Sonic's eyes. "You are!"

The blue hedgehog laughed again and took the ring. Winking, he ran past Tails, his speed fully restored. The young fox gaped after him. _I never thought I'd see this day come…_

Sonic ran into Amy's house, instantly realizing that she wasn't there. His eyes narrowed slightly in thought. He shrugged. _Might as well just wait._

He walked upstairs, suddenly remembering about the painting under the canvas. He still hadn't seen it…In fact, the painting had been forgotten about in the aftermath of Eggman's demise. Sonic smiled in remembrance. The press had exploded with the news. One particular article had stuck in Sonic's mind…

"_The Great Sonic the Hedgehog, is NOT dead, as earlier reports indicated. He is, in fact, alive and well. The true deceased one is none other than his arch-nemesis, Eggman. According to the Blue Blur himself, the one that truly deserves credit is Amy Rose. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that was certainly not a typo. The entire scheme, the entire plan that ultimately resulted in Eggman's death, was all the result of Amy Rose's careful planning._

_The hedgehog's cheeks turned as pink as her fur when questioned about this, but did not deny, nor confirm, her involvement or planning. That leaves this reporter to believe, based on her actions and the comments she did make, that she did indeed plan this whole thing…_"

It had gone on to say more about Sonic's relationship to Amy and he grinned now, thinking that he was about to prove it right. He tossed the ring on Amy's bed and walked over to the balcony where the painting stood, still covered. He took it off with a smile, but it died when the painting, finished, was finally revealed to him.

He wanted to touch it, make sure it was real, but he could tell that it was still wet from the way it shimmered in the light. He couldn't believe that she'd painted this…

Sonic stood, pointing a finger forward at whoever would look at the painting. Above his head was the deep blue Chaos Emerald.

Behind Sonic stood Amy, Piko-Piko hammer at the ready. Above her head was the pink Chaos Emerald.

Knuckles stood to his left, grinning slightly, fists punched together. Above his head was the red Chaos Emerald.

Rouge flew just above him, smiling lazily, arms crossed. Above her head was the purple Chaos Emerald.

Tails was on Sonic's right, leaning against the Tornado 2 with a grin on his young face. Above his head was the pale blue Chaos Emerald.

Cream was in the cockpit, head slightly cocked, worry clearly showing in the depth of those innocent brown eyes. Above her head was the yellow Chaos Emerald.

A little farther behind Amy stood Shadow, obviously ready to attack. Above his head was the green Chaos Emerald.

Sonic looked close and saw the Master Emerald in the background, cleverly disguised as a cloud.

Sonic stared at the image, fascinated. He jumped when a soft voice spoke from behind him. "I was going to show you later."

Sonic looked back at Amy, looking as guilty as a child caught stealing cookies. "Sorry, Amy, but I just…" He trailed off after studying her face. "You're not mad at all, are you?"

She shook her head and laughed. "No, I'm not actually. I'm kind of relieved. It saves me from having to show you." She walked over and put her hand in his, linking their fingers. "Wanna know why I painted it like this?"

Sonic looked at the painting. "Yeah, I really do."

"We're there for you, Sonic. Albeit some of us aren't always willing," she said, laughing a little. "That's why I painted Shadow farther behind everyone. Knuckles will always help you, unless he's tricked into fighting against you. That's why he's on you left, rather than your right. Tails is your right-hand man. He trusts you under any circumstances. Why are you here so early?"

Sonic turned her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm here for a few different reasons."

"Really?" Amy snuggled closer to him, relishing in his warmth. "What are they?"

Sonic leaned back from her and picked up the ring box from the bed. He turned back to her, grinning widely. "I had this huge speech planned out that probably would have taken more time than saying the actual vows." He flipped open the box and chuckled when her eyes widened. "Instead, I'm going to do this my way." Sonic took her limp hand in his and squeezed it lightly. "I know I haven't told you this yet, so here goes." He took a deep breath, steadying himself to say three words. "I love you."

Amy's eyes widened further and tears began to fill them. "Oh, Sonic," she whispered. "You know I love you too."

Sonic's grin faltered a little when she said it back. The emotions that swelled inside his chest were almost painful. To hide the pain, he pulled her against him again. "Will you marry me, Amy?" He held his breath, waiting for an answer.

A few seconds passed and Sonic began to feel panic rising inside him. "Amy? Come on, Ames. Answer me." He felt tears fall onto his shoulder and he pulled back to see them falling down her cheeks. "Amy?"

She tilted her head back and leaned forward, stopping just before their lips touched. "Yes, Sonic. I'll marry you." She closed the distance and felt his lips curve under hers. He dipped her back lightly and trailed a hand to the small of her back, supporting her as his other hand slid the ring onto her finger.

When their lips finally broke contact, Sonic rested his chin on the top of her head and grinned to himself. "I love you, Amy Rose." Then he laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I think it'll get easier every time I say it."

"It does, trust me." She pulled him back for another soul-searing kiss that left both of them panting. "Can we do it now?" she asked, opening her eyes. "Right now?"

"Do…You mean get married? Right now? But…" His eyes clouded a little. "I thought you'd have had the whole thing planned out."

"Of course I do, but…" She rubbed her nose against his. "I've decided to throw them all out the window." She let out a laugh and squeezed him in her usual death grip. "I love you, Sonic. I don't really care how we get married, I just want to as soon as possible."

He lifted her into his arms "I bet we can get a license and everything in a few hours if we go to the right place."

Amy grinned widely and nodded her head. "Let's go."

* * *

HOLY FRIGGIN' SHIT! IT'S ACTUALLY DONE! I, Star, actually completed her first story! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, ON TO THE OTHERS! lol I'm real sorry that it's taken me forever to update it, but busy bees have NO TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE! OMG! You won't believe it, but still. Spring Break is comin' up, and y'all know that I'll update my stories often! lol So, check 'em all out! 


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